


Claws at Midnight, Duels at Dawn

by UmbreonGurl



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Cowboys, F/F, some murder mystery, the inherent homoerotic tension between a monster hunter and a monster, wild west mixed with magic and monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:07:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 24,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28029756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmbreonGurl/pseuds/UmbreonGurl
Summary: Ionesville is a fairly normal town at first glance. Kai’Sa’s been in the monster hunting business long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving.
Relationships: Ahri/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends)
Comments: 202
Kudos: 392





	1. A Stranger Rides into Town

Ionesville is a fairly normal town at first glance. It has a saloon, a general store, a bank, an inn, and a few mines just outside of it that seem to keep the whole thing afloat. It’s got all of the fairly standard stuff one expects of a tiny trading town, but Kai’Sa’s been in the monster hunting business long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving. 

The chill that runs down her spine the moment she rides into town is all she needs to confirm her suspicions something rotten’s afoot. The rumours echo in her head, tales of mangled bodies on main street, people who had been lured out into the cold embrace of the night and never came back.

Peaches shifts slightly, sensing her apprehension.

A reassuring thought is quickly sent his way and shortly after, red eyes return their focus to the road, hoofbeats steady and sure. 

She gets a few stares. It’s something she’s used to by now—he isn’t subtle, and neither is the gun on her hip, polished iron and steel, shining in the midday sun.

“Look at that horse,” whispers a scruffy young lady to a boy standing in front of the inn. “You think that’s the monster hunter the sheriff called in?”

“It has to be, Akali,” the boy hisses back. “I ain’t never seen a horse like that. It’s like she rode straight outta hell or somethin’. What kinda shoes you think they put on it?”

“Ekko, you really think it even _wears_ shoes? Look at the fuckin’ thing—it might as well be made outta’ shadows, I don’t think it’s gotta worry about hoof problems.”

Kai’Sa glances over as she passes by, and both of them turn their heads away and fall silent in a poor attempt to hide their gossiping. Peaches snorts, and Kai’Sa ignores them and continues on her way.

The whispers follow.

“Guess we’ll know by whether she comes to your pop’s to buy new ones—if she lasts long enough. How long did the last one make it? A month?”

“Little over it, I think.”

Kai’Sa frowns. No wonder the telegram had seemed so urgent. She isn’t the first one to try to take on the beast that lives in this part of the woods, but she doesn’t doubt she’ll be the last.

It doesn’t take long for the jailhouse to come into sight, rusted iron bars on the windows giving it away far more than the dusty, faded sign above the door. Parking Peaches out in front of it, Kai’Sa hops off and orders a small “stay.” The command is more out of habit than anything.

The door creaks as she makes her way inside, and the woman looking over paperwork at the desk doesn’t even look up as Kai’Sa walks in. She’s buff, a bit rough-looking, with scruffy hair and muscles that show through her sleeves. _Deputy,_ the badge proudly pinned on her chest reads.

“I’m here to see the sheriff,” Kai’Sa says. “She sent a telegram and said it was rather urgent.”

The woman glances up and gives Kai’Sa an appraising once over, eyes pausing at the silver bullets lining her belt. “You the monster hunter?” 

“That’s me.” Kai’Sa confirms, with a small nod.

“Thank god,” comes the response. “I’m pretty sure Cait would have had an aneurysm if you took any longer to get into town.”

“My apologies.” Kai’Sa’s lips curl downwards into a slight frown. “I’m afraid I couldn’t teleport across the country, I had quite a bit of distance to cover.”

The woman shakes her head with a small chuckle. “Nah, don’t worry about it. I was just screwing with you.” 

Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. 

“Caitlyn knew you’d take a bit when she sent out for you.” Stretching slightly as she gets up from her seat, the deputy rolls up her sleeves a bit more as they fall down her arms. “Follow me, I’ll show ya’ to her office. She’s expecting you.”

“I’m afraid I never caught your name,” Kai’Sa says, as they walk. 

The woman grins. “Deputy Vi, at your service. I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other.”

* * *

“Oi, Cupcake, your hotshot monster killer’s here!”

“Wonderful, thank you, Vi,” comes the call back. “Please, do come in. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Vi gives a two finger salute in Caitlyn’s direction before making her way back towards the front with a small “good luck.”

Kai’Sa takes a seat and waits.

“I appreciate your promptness,” Caitlyn starts, shifting some paperwork around into neat piles, “and I apologize for the mess. I’m afraid I hadn’t been expecting you quite so soon.”

The sheriff of Ionesville is a stern woman, well-groomed and prim and proper. It’s something Kai’Sa can tell almost immediately, with the lilt of her words and mannerisms all but screaming old money. Helpless rich girl, however, Caitlyn is not. The rifle propped against the wall in the back corner makes that very clear—it’s well polished and well built, and knowing it’s owner’s reputation, also well used.

“Don’t worry about it. I was running ahead of schedule. The roads were easy.”

“Good to hear.” Caitlyn leans down and rifles through her desk drawer before pulling out a small notebook and passing it over. She doesn’t bother with any more small talk, instead getting right to business. “This has a copy of everything we know, collected by us and those who were unfortunately unable to carry out the task.”

Kai’Sa appreciates the directness. She’s never been one for small talk either.

“Perfect,” she says, starting to flip through it. The first few pages start with some descriptions of the first victims, and some crude—but detailed drawings. A brief glance at the rest of the pages show more of the same. It’s more than enough information to start investigating. “This is more than enough to get started. Far more organized than several other gigs I’ve taken.”

“Thank you. I try my best to keep things neat around here,” Caitlyn says, with a polite smile. “Regarding your payment, I’m afraid due to the nature of the job, I can’t compensate you until you’ve managed to complete it. I can cover your room and board and business expenses, but nothing more.” She sighs. “Unfortunately we’ve had a few too many people leave things unexpectedly incomplete to offer any advance rewards.”

“That’s more than fair,” Kai’Sa says, shaking her head. “I don’t deserve the money if I can’t get the job done. I’m not lacking on funds, either, after Targon—they were quite generous. Don’t worry about business expenses or inn fares.”

“I insist on at least covering your room and board,” Caitlyn counters, “considering you’re very likely putting your life on the line for this.”

“I’m aware,” Kai’Sa says. “It comes with the job. I’m used to it. I don’t want special treatment.”

“The last few said that too.” Caitlyn’s tone is firm, eyes sharp as steel. “Every single one of them ended up dead. You may very well end up the same, so I won’t budge on the bare minimum of hospitality and paying for your stay. I paid for theirs too. It’s not special treatment.”

“Fine,” Kai’Sa relents, sensing that the other woman isn’t going to budge. “But just room and board. I pay for my own bullets—quality silver isn’t cheap.”

“That can be arranged,” Caitlyn agrees, with a small nod. 

Kai’Sa gets up from her seat. “I’ll get to work, then.”

“Good luck,” Caitlyn says, as Kai’Sa turns to make her way out. “And please do try your best to stay out of the coroner’s office. I’m not sure if he can handle another monster hunter on his exam table.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Kai’Sa places a hand on the handle of the gun on her hip. “I’ve found I’m extremely hard to kill.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way.” Caitlyn’s tone is deceptively neutral. “I‘d hate to have to sent another person to their death.”

* * *

Mystic Shot Saloon is about what you’d expect from a small town spirits hub: splintered floorboards, stained counters, and an old piano in the back corner. The whole place smells of piss and alcohol, likely carryovers from nights that had gotten a bit out of hand. 

The bartender is young, with scruffy blonde hair and rolled-up sleeves. Judging by how empty the place is, he had likely either inherited the place from family or has a rather generous benefactor. Or perhaps it’s simply a down time, and the people in Ionesville aren’t ones for day drinking. Every town Kai’Sa’s been to seems to have their different preferences for when they like their booze, so it wouldn’t be something that unusual.

“Whiskey, neat,” Kai’Sa orders, as she takes a seat at the bar and shrugs her coat off her shoulders. 

“You got it, stranger,” comes the response.

Kai’Sa watches as he quickly makes her a glass and slides it across the counter. It comes to a stop in front of her spot with practiced ease.

“You’re new in town,” he says, leaning back behind the bar and stating the obvious. 

“Just got in today,” Kai’Sa confirms, taking a sip of her whiskey only to frown when she finds it’s old, cheaply made, and likely bottom-shelf. She’d had better alcohol in Bilgewater, and that’s saying something, considering probably about half the drinks you’re served at any bar there are watered-down.

“You should get out of town while you still can,” he tells her, over dusty air and creaking wood. “Strange things happen here at night. It’s not uncommon for folks to go missing.”

“I know,” Kai’Sa responds, drumming her fingers along the counter. “That’s why I’m here. Sheriff said you all have a bit of a monster problem.”

The barkeep shakes his head, clicking his tongue. “We do, but a pretty thing like you should be more careful. You’re lookin’ for trouble.”

“No.” Kai’Sa finishes her drink and sets her glass back on the counter with a loud _thud._ “What I’m looking for is _answers._ ”

He grabs the empty glass with a knowing look. “That’s what the others said, too, and there ain’t a single one of em’ that came back alive. Anyone the sheriff’s ever called in ended up six feet under. People are startin’ to wonder if the position’s cursed, you know.”

Tendrils of shadow snake their way out just past the edges of her sleeves, retreating as fast as they came.

“I’m not like the others, I think you’ll find.” She smiles. “Monsters under the bed don’t scare me.”

“Then you’re stupid.” Wiping the glass clean and storing it back under the counter, he frowns. “Monsters kill things left and right ‘round here.”

“Good.” Placing some money on the counter, Kai’Sa grabs her coat off of the back of the chair. “I’ll fit right in, then.”

She pauses on her way out the door with a slight tip of her hat. “Keep the change. Use it to get some better booze for when I come back. Ideally something that wasn’t opened a month ago.”

“Whatever you say, gorgeous,” comes the response.

“Not interested,” Kai’Sa calls over her shoulder. 

* * *

The wind blows dust around Kai’Sa’s feet as she walks. It’s cool out, the breeze blowing slightly underneath her coat, but not enough for her to feel it—not even close. Desert nights have nothing on the void, and she has work to do.

The first step in any proper hunt is to know your enemy. Figure out the nature of the beast, learn it’s weaknesses, and take it out before it can do the same to you. From what she’d read, the monster almost exclusively strikes at night. That eliminates a few things off the list, at the very least.

A voidspawn could care less for the time of day, and demons have never had any shame about killing folks in broad daylight. Even without that—the other evidence all but eliminates them as a possibility. Voidlings don’t leave a body behind at all, and demons are usually messier. The victims were apparently mangled, but not shredded, and demons have never been known for their self-control.

But that still leaves plenty of other options. Pulling the little notebook out of her coat pocket, Kai’Sa flips through it again. 

Some of the bodies were found the morning after a new moon. That means werewolves aren’t it either. The victims weren’t drained dry, so not a vampire. Anything waterborne also isn’t a possibility—there isn’t a proper lake or even so much as a pond for miles, so goodbye kelpies, sirens, and krakens.

Kai’Sa’s thoughts are interrupted by a small crack of metal on gravel.

She reaches for the gun on her hip instinctively, second skin creeping its way up her neck and over her vitals. Flickering lanternlight reveals the offender to be nothing more than a can on the ground, but as to what had knocked it over, Kai’Sa isn’t sure.

She pulls her gun out of its holster and raises it in the air, finger on the trigger, ready and waiting—

Only only to promptly drop it back down again when a small meow rings out from below.

A look towards the direction of the sound and she spots it: a cream colored cat weaving its way between the fenceposts in front of the general store, eyes golden and sharp. It must have been what knocked over the can. 

A deep breath, and Kai’Sa puts her pistol back away, living armor retreating back under pale flesh. Squatting down and holding her hand out, she clicks her tongue encouragingly.

The cat takes the signal that it is and makes its way over, eagerly shoving its head into Kai’Sa’s hands for a scratch behind the ears.

“You should be more careful, pretty kitty,” she says, running a hand down its back and smiling at the way it arches into her touch. “I could have shot you.”

It continues languidly making its way around her hands, ignoring the warning. 

“And if not that, the beast that’s apparently been running around here could get you.” A small purr comes as she scratches in just the right spot. “If it has a taste for cat, that is,” she adds, after a pause. “Who knows, you might actually be safer than all of us.”

Kai’Sa continues petting the cat for a few minutes before getting up. It wanders through the space between her boots for a moment, as if asking for more, before stopping when it realizes she isn’t going to offer anything else.

Hopping up back onto the top of one of the fenceposts, the cat sits and it watches, tail slowly swishing side to side.

“Stay safe, furball,” Kai’Sa says. “Strange things happen here at night.”

Yellow eyes follow her into the night as she continues on her way. 

* * *

It doesn’t take Kai’Sa long to find the inn, considering its position right in the center of town.

The innkeeper quickly guides her to a room as soon as she mentions Caitlyn’s name. At first he had seemed a bit apprehensive, eyes constantly drifting towards the gun on her hip, but with the mention of the sheriff, his whole demeanor changes.

On their way up the stairs, he goes over the details.

“Breakfast is served at seven. Come down any later than fifteen minutes past that and I can’t guarantee you a meal. Your room’s the first one on the left. Break anything and you’re covering it—that’s not covered by the sheriff’s generosity.” He stops in front of the door and turns. “Any questions?”

“No. Those are agreeable terms.” 

With that confirmation, a key is quickly shoved into her hands. “If you need anything, or if anything’s amiss, you can find me or my daughter downstairs most of the day.”

“Thank you, I will.”

A nod, and the man quickly makes his way back down the stairs.

Kai’Sa makes her way into the room and drops her bags on the floor—not that she has many. Traveling constantly means she has to pack light, and anything more than the bare essentials is extra bulk to haul around. 

She has what she needs: a few changes of clothes, an extra gun, a pack of silver bullets, some emergency rations, her journal, a compass, a sleeping bag, a canteen and a map.

Her journal is quickly placed on the dresser, and her boots are gently taken off and set by the door. She hadn’t really even realized how exhausted she was from the journey here until she gets the chance to lay down.

The bed isn’t anything special, but after a few weeks on the road, it might as well be made of silk and stuffed with the feathers of angels. Placing her hat on the nightstand, she lays back and closes her eyes with a sigh, before promptly opening them again when she realizes her mistake.

Sleeping with her belt on and gun holstered is just asking for something to get shot. Sitting up and setting her gun aside, she takes off her belt. The belt and holster is promptly placed on the nightstand, and the gun is slipped under her pillow.

One can never be too careful. One wrong move, one slip of her guard, and everything she’s worked for goes down the drain.

Kai’Sa lays her head back on the pillow and closes her eyes with a sigh.

Three hundred and forty-four jobs completed, three hundred and forty-four scourges wiped from this Earth. Three hundred and forty-five is soon to come, she assures herself, and after that, many more.

Kill one monster, and there’s always two more to take its place. She’ll be there to shoot both in the face when she wakes up. And if it can’t wait until morning—there’s a reason her pistol’s always within reach.

* * *

Shen’s Ironworks is a bit out of the way, near the edge of town.

Kai’Sa can feel the heat from the forge long before she ever gets close, and the sound of hammers on metal echoes far and wide.

The girl she had seen when she’d first rode into town works the anvil, hammering away at a red-hot piece of iron as the boy she had been talking to sits nearby and watches.

They glance up, and she turns to him with a frown.

“Fuckin’ hell, that was fast. Ekko, I think you mighta just won our bet,” she says, wiping her hand across her forehead. “You finish this, I’ll go see what she wants.”

“Oi, slow down, Akali, who said I’d—”

“Shut it, I called dibs first.” She passes over the tongs, and Ekko reluctantly takes over.

Brushing off her apron, Akali makes her way over to Kai’Sa.

Akali puts a hand on her hip. “Welcome to Shen’s. Nails, horseshoes, door hinges, if it’s made of iron, we’ll make it.” 

“And if it’s made of silver?” Kai’Sa asks.

Akali frowns, running a hand on her chin. “We’ll make that too, it’ll just cost ya’ a hell of a lot more.”

“Perfect. Do you guys do bullets?”

“Damn.” Akali pauses for a moment. “You’re really going for the pricey stuff, aintcha?”

“Killing beasts isn’t cheap, I’m afraid,” Kai’Sa admits, “but it pays well, so I suppose that makes up for it.”

“We can do bullets, but depending on how many you need, we might need to get some more gunpowder.”

Kai’Sa takes a moment to think. “For now, probably just ten or twenty of them. I like to keep extras on hand in case of emergency.”

Akali nods. “Yeah, we can definitely manage that. Did you want those as soon as possible, or were you thinkin’ a specific time?”

“Ideally, as soon as you can. I’m willing to pay in advance.”

“Sweet. You’ve got yourself a deal, then.” 

Akali offers out her hand with a grin, and Kai’Sa takes it.

“I’m gonna need to see your gun for a few to measure the sizing,” Akali says, after they shake on it and seal the deal. “If you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

Kai’Sa passes her gun over, and Akali takes it with a grateful nod. 

Letting out a low whistle, Akali turns the revolver in her hands. “This thing’s gorgeous. I’ve got a buddy that’d kill to get their hands on somethin’ like this.”

Ekko snorts, pausing in his hammering for a moment. “So that’s what you’re callin’ it now? Buddy?”

“Shut up, Ekko,” Akali calls. “You’ll mess up the shoe if you keep running your mouth.”

“Sure I will.”

Akali huffs. “Ignore him.” Quickly going over and grabbing a ruler, she takes some measurements before handing the gun back over.

“I’ll likely have em’ ready in a few days or so. Got a big order of shoes that came in before yours, and in general we tend to work first-come first-serve.” She shrugs. “Could be done sooner if we end up ahead of schedule. Who knows.”

“That’s fine,” Kai’Sa says. “I’m in no rush. If things turn urgent and I need them sooner I’ll come back and let you know.”

“Sweet. Sounds like a plan.” Akali smiles. “Anything else I can help ya’ with, or…? If I don’t get back to work soon my old man’ll kill me.”

“No.” Kai’Sa shakes her head. “That’s all, thank you.”

As Kai’Sa leaves, Akali turns towards Ekko with a smug grin. “I win. She wasn’t here for shoes, pay up.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t wear any,” Ekko protests. “She hasn’t even been in town a day yet. Give it time.”

Akali huffs and grabs a fresh piece of iron, relenting. “Fine. But no bitchin’ when I win.”

* * *

The second time Kai’Sa goes to the local saloon the booze isn’t any better, but this time, she is not alone.

“The usual, please, Ezreal.”

Boots clack on wood as another woman makes her way in, hair long and black as night and eyes blue like the sea. She’s gorgeous—almost unnaturally so, and Kai’Sa feels her little friend run up her back, sending warning shivers down her spine to _be careful._

In nature, the most dangerous things are always the most beautiful—either luring in their prey with false promises or warning away predators with pretty colors and too-bright smiles. Kai’Sa isn’t sure which category this woman falls into yet.

“A glass of gin comin’ right up, Miss Ahri. Anything else I can get for ya’?”

“Something for our new friend here, on me,” Ahri says, a catlike smile creeping upon her lips as she takes a seat at the stool next to Kai’Sa. She puts her elbow on the bar and rests her chin on her hand. “Word around town is you’re quite the monster killer.”

“I suppose my reputation precedes me,” Kai’Sa hums. 

Before she can stop him, Ezreal replaces her glass with a fresh one with a sly grin. “Miss Ahri insisted,” he says. “You learn pretty quick ya’ can’t say no to her.”

“They say you killed a rampaging pack of werewolves in Targon without even sweating, swallowed their howls like the night sky. Folks’ll be real grateful if you manage to deal with our little problem the same way,” says Ahri, twirling a lock of her hair absentmindedly around her finger. “So far nobody’s been able to handle it. All of em’ ended up dead. A shame.”

“So I’ve heard,” Kai’Sa responds, swirling her whiskey around in her glass. It’s still stale and not really her thing, but booze is booze.

Ezreal comes back again rather quickly with Ahri’s drink.

“Thank you, Ezreal dear,” Ahri says, delicately taking the offered glass in her hands.

“Course. Anything for my best—and prettiest—customer.”

“Don’t let Eve hear you say that when she gets back in town,” Ahri says, with a small chuckle. “She’ll kill you.”

Ezreal winks as he wipes off a dirty glass. “I won’t tell Miss Evelynn if you won’t.”

“It’s our secret.” Ahri lets out a chiming laugh and winks back, before turning towards Kai’Sa. “And—I’m sorry, how rude of me, I never asked for your name.”

Her gaze is curious, sharp and knowing.

“Kai’Sa.”

“And Kai’Sa won’t tell anyone either, right?” The expectant way Ahri looks at her makes Kai’Sa shift in her seat a little.

“Sure.” It’s not like she knows anyone anyways. It won’t be a difficult promise to keep.

“Much appreciated, Miss Kai’Sa,” Ezreal says with a nod. 

“Just Kai’Sa,” Kai’Sa corrects. “No need for formalities.”

He shakes his head. “Please, Miss, I insist. It’s customer service law. You’re payin’ me, I gotta be polite. Especially considering we got off on the wrong foot last time.”

Ahri chuckles. “Just humor him. You’ll get better service if you do.”

“Oh?” Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “Like whiskey that doesn’t taste like fucking cemetery dirt?”

Ahri laughs, shoulders shaking and smile widening. “Oh, I think we’re going to get along _great,_ Kai’Sa. Ezreal, if she wants another refill, it’s on me.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll put it on your tab.” Ezreal gives a nod Ahri’s way.

“Don’t bother,” Kai’Sa says, shutting him down before he makes her another glass. “I’m done after this, and I don’t like owing debts.”

“Consider it a gift, then,” Ahri says, waving her hand dismissively. “No payback required.”

Kai’Sa frowns. “I don’t take charity. I can pay for myself.”

“And I don’t take no for an answer. If you don’t take charity, find a way to repay me next time.” Ahri doesn’t budge.

Raising an eyebrow, Kai’Sa takes another sip of her drink. “Who says I’ll be around long enough for there to be a next time?”

Ahri hums. “Trust me, you’ll be here a while. The beast you’re after’s a tricky one.”

“Pay for my drink next time, then, if you’re so confident.” Kai’Sa says, placing her glass back on the bar with a sigh. “Call it a bet. If I’m still around, I’ll let you.”

“I look forward to it,” Ahri says. “I never lose bets.”

Kai’Sa hums, swirling the remaining whiskey in her cup. “I’m quite good at my job. We’ll see.”

“Yes,” Ahri agrees, taking a sip of her own drink with a smirk. “I think we will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I keep saying that I'm writing the most self indulgent shit I've ever written and then go and write shit even more self-indulgent. I absolutely love cowboys, so this provided the perfect opportunity to push my crusty Kahri agenda. :)


	2. Bourbon at Noon, Bodies at Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Putting the "murder" in murder mystery here folks, descriptions of the crime scene are not anything that explicit but stuff like blood and bodies are talked about, so please do take caution if things like that make you uncomfortable.

A week in town and still no signs of monster activity. It’s honestly infuriating. If whatever it is would just so much as show its face, Kai’Sa could kill it and move on, get out of town and never have to think about going to Mystic Shot ever again.

Unfortunately, though, it lays low, and Kai’Sa’s forced to walk back through that door if she wants her fix of alcohol—albeit shitty quality alcohol.

For once, it’s rather busy. A man sits and plays away at the piano, upbeat tunes ringing across the chatter of the patrons.

At a table near the back, Ahri is easy to spot. Akali sits on her left side, cards in hand, laughing. Her other companion, though, Kai’Sa doesn’t quite recognize. 

Dressed head-to-toe in dark leather, the woman has the sort of uncaring vibe that Kai’Sa knows means she’s probably had more than a few brushes with the law. A lit cigarette hangs from her lips, a trail of smoke slowly drifting up into the air above. Her eyes aren’t visible from underneath her hat, but the faint shine of a gun from underneath the table makes it clear that this woman isn’t someone to be trifled with.

Ahri spots her quickly, waving to come over with a smug grin. “Ezreal, whiskey, neat,” she yells towards the bar. “Top-shelf.”

“You got it, ma’am,” comes the call back. 

“I can order for myself,” Kai’Sa says, as she takes the seat to Ahri’s right. 

Ahri raises an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t have let me pay if I did, bet or not.” The way she says the words all but invites Kai’Sa to try to say otherwise.

“Who’s your new friend, darling?” Golden eyes watch from under a wide brimmed-hat, sharp and observant, like a rattlesnake assessing whether or not to strike. “I’m afraid we aren’t acquainted.”

The woman places a card from her hand on the growing pile in the center of the table. “One ace.”

“Kai’Sa here’s the sheriff’s newest hire,” Ahri hums, sorting through her hand and placing down two cards. “She seems quite confident she’s going to be the last, too. Two twos.”

“Bullshit,” Akali says.

Ahri only smiles, taking a sip of what Kai’Sa assumes is gin. “Read em’ and weep.” 

Grumbling, Akali reaches for the top of the pile only to curse when the top of the pile is indeed two twos. The card underneath it, though, is very much not an ace. “Damnit, Eve, ya’ got us again.” She adds the cards to her hand before starting the pile again with two cards. “Two threes.”

“Not my fault you’re bad at lying.” The woman daintily pulls the cigarette from her lips and taps some ashes onto the floor. “How long have you been in town for… Kai’Sa, was it?”

“Little over a week,” Kai’Sa says, nodding at Ezreal when he drops off her drink. “You?”

“Just got back in this morning.” She takes a drag of her cigarette, letting loose a puff of smoke that blows obnoxiously close to Kai’Sa’s face. “Had some business to take care of. One four.”

Ahri snorts. “I hardly think business is the word for it, Evelynn.”

“And where do you get all _your_ cash, exactly, Ahri?” Evelynn responds, with a low drawl. 

“Touché. One five.” Ahri shifts her cards into one hand and places her chin on the other, turning towards Kai’Sa. “How’s the monster chasing been going?”

“It’s going,” Kai’Sa says. In the background, Akali curses again and Kai’Sa can make out a low laugh. “But I’m afraid I can’t do much if the beast doesn’t show itself.”

At that, Evelynn lets out a chuckle. 

Kai’Sa turns, frowning slightly. “I’m sorry, was there something funny about what I said? I’m afraid I missed the joke.” 

The edges of Evelynn’s mouth curl up into an amused smile. “There is none. Two sevens, and I’m all out.” Another puff of smoke, this time purposefully blown into Kai’Sa’s face. 

“This is horseshit,” Akali groans.

“Bullshit, actually, but don’t worry. We’ll get her next time,” Ahri says, amused. 

“We’ll see.” Evelynn turns towards Kai’Sa, expression neutral. “Care to join us for the next game, Kai’Sa?”

“Sure.” Kai’Sa knows a challenge when she hears one. She takes a swig of her whiskey, which—surprisingly, for once, isn’t shit. “You’re on.”

* * *

A loud knock at the door startles Kai’Sa awake. A quick glance at her pocketwatch says it’s a bit past four in the morning. She sighs.

The knocking on the door gets louder as Kai’Sa throws on some clothes, and by the time she opens it, she’s in a downright grouchy mood.

Vi stands on the other side, expression uncharacteristically grim.

“We’ve got a body,” she says, tone serious, with not a hint of the lighthearted jokes that had flown from her tongue with ease when they had first met. “We don’t think this one’s monster activity, but we thought ya’ might wanna see it before we haul it off the scene just to be safe.” Vi cringes. “Or what’s left of it, anyways,” she adds, after a pause.

Any anger Kai’Sa had at being woken up so early instantly dissipates, focus honing in on the words.

“You’re right. Lead the way.”

The walk over is silent, but the tension is palpable. The body is a little bit outside of town, and by the time they get close to the scene, the scent of blood lies heavy in the air. It’s so thick that Kai’Sa can practically taste it, coppery and metallic on her tongue.

Vi hadn’t been kidding when she implied the crime scene was messy. And the _stench—_ Kai’Sa almost gags. What catches her eye most, however, is the bullet casings on the ground.

Kai’Sa squats down and grabs one, turning it in her fingertips. Four shotgun shells, slightly dented, 28 gauge, used. They’re cold, even through the leather of her gloves.

This wasn’t a beast’s attack—this was _murder._

“I see you’ve come to the same conclusion I have.”

Kai’Sa glances up to find Caitlyn, arms crossed and face stern.

“If your conclusion is that this likely wasn’t the work of a monster, then you’d be correct.”

Although, in hindsight, wild animals can sometimes wear the faces of men. Humans can be just as big a monster as any werewolf if left unchecked. 

The largest difference, though, is that one of them quite literally makes her skin crawl, and the other does not. The only shivers that run down her spine this time are her own. This was definitely the work of a person—or something more human than monster. 

Kai’Sa dusts herself off as she stands back up.

“Mr. Felix had a bit of a gambling problem,” Caitlyn explains. “It’s likely he couldn’t pay back his debts in time.”

“That sounds rather counterproductive,” Kai’Sa says, with a small hum. “A dead man can’t pay his dues.”

“If the person responsible is who I think it is,” Caitlyn says, with a small shrug, “she doesn’t care. It’s about sending a message.”

Vi huffs, crossing her arms. “Ya’ really think it’s her? For one thing, I don’t think she’d touch a shotgun, and for another—if she was the killer I’m pretty sure we wouldn't've found a body.”

“You’re right. Truth be told, I don’t think she did it.” Caitlyn hums. “But she’s the only lead we have right now. It would be irresponsible not to investigate it.”

“Pardon me for intruding,” Kai’Sa says, “but who exactly is this “she” you’re referring to?”

“Oh, right.” Vi sighs. “You haven’t met Evelynn yet, have you? She’s our local…” Vi pauses for a moment to find the right words. “I guess ya’ could call her a _businesswoman._ Some under the table, some over.”

Huh. Ahri has some interesting friends.

Kai’Sa frowns. “We’re acquainted. Played some bullshit with her yesterday afternoon at Mystic Shot.”

“Probably better you guys stay acquaintances.” Vi shakes her head. “She’s trouble, and we can’t touch her unless she outright kills someone in broad daylight or somethin’ along those lines.”

“Or something like that,” Caitlyn echoes. “Money has its perks, and I’m afraid the mayor has my hands tied.”

Vi snorts and waggles her eyebrows. “Kinky.”

Caitlyn sends her a glare, but smiles slightly at the joke despite herself. “Not the time, Vi.”

“Of course, of course. My bad.”

* * *

Evelynn answers the door in… Kai’Sa hesitates to call them pajamas, considering how little they cover.

Evelynn smiles, leaning against the side of the doorway. “Why, good morning officers,” she says, pausing for a moment as her eyes fall on Kai’Sa, “and Kai’Sa, dear, wonderful to see you again. Is there something I can help you with? I’m a busy woman, so whatever it is, please, do make it quick.”

“We have some questions for you regarding Mr. Felix,” Caitlyn says, hand on her hip. 

At the mention of his name, Evelynn’s expression sours. “Ah. _Tobias._ What about him has you all at my door so early, now, hmmm?” She brings a hand up to cover her mouth and lets out a chuckle. “Oh, it must be something juicy for everyone to be so riled up. Go on, be a dear. Fill me in—just what did he do this time?”

“He died,” Vi says bluntly.

“Ah.” Evelynn pauses at that. “A shame. He owed me quite a bit of money.”

“We’re aware,” says Caitlyn. “That’s precisely why we were wondering if you knew anything about it.”

“I’m afraid not,” Evelynn says, without missing a beat. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

Caitlyn reaches into her pocket, pulling out one of the shotgun shells found on the scene and holding it out.

“Does this look at all familiar to you?”

Evelynn raises an eyebrow. “Really? You think I’d ever use a shotgun? I have _standards_ , sweetheart _._ If I was going to shoot someone, it wouldn’t be with something so unrefined. Even the mere idea of doing such a thing makes me want to vomit. It’s downright _filthy._ ”

The look she gives Caitlyn all but screams _trust me, you’d know if I did it._

Vi nods. “Told ya’.”

Caitlyn isn’t deterred by the attempt at deflection. “Where were you last night between the hours of 11p.m. and 4 a.m.?”

“I was right here the whole time.” Evelynn shrugs. “If that’s when dear old Tobias kicked the can, I wasn’t there to see it happen, unfortunately. I do really wish I was.”

“And do you have someone to verify that alibi?” Caitlyn doesn’t budge.

“In fact, I do. One moment, officers.” The door shuts, and when it opens again a few minutes later, Evelynn is decidedly not alone.

“Go ahead, Akali dear,” Evelynn says, smile curling into something wicked. “Why don’t you tell them _all_ about how you were here with me all night.”

Akali, hair disheveled and shirt wrinkled, flushes as Evelynn pushes her forward. “Um. I don’t know what y'all think she did, but I can promise ya’ she didn’t leave the house last night.”

Evelynn’s smile grows, a bit too wide to be completely friendly. “Oh, don’t spare the officers the details. I’m sure they’d love to hear every last bit about how you—”

“That’s enough, thank you.” Caitlyn clears her throat, pursing her lips. “You’ve given us more than enough answers.”

Evelynn sighs, waving a hand dismissively. “You cops are always so dramatic and nosy until someone offers you the real juicy stuff. It’s honestly cute. What happened to wanting to know everything about my activities?”

Akali places a hand on Evelynn’s arm. “Eve.”

Evelynn turns towards her with a sigh. “Fine, fine. I’ll leave the good officers be.” She turns her attention back towards Caitlyn and Vi, before glancing over at Kai’Sa. “And why are _you_ here, darling? You’re not a cop now, are you? If so, I’m afraid we can’t be friends anymore. No hard feelings.”

“No,” Kai’Sa says. “I’m just here to observe. Have to make absolutely sure there isn’t a chance of monster involvement. Any information could be crucial. You know how it is.”

“Oh yes, yes of course.” Evelynn hums.

Akali clears her throat. “Can I go now, or?”

“You’re free to go.” Caitlyn nods. “Thank you for your time.”

Akali glances towards Evelynn, and with a small nod, she makes her way back inside. 

Evelynn leans back onto the side of the doorway, amused. “Is there anything else you need from me, loves?”

“No.” Caitlyn says. “I’ll come back if I have any more questions.”

Evelynn smiles. “Please do. I’m more than happy to answer them.” Standing up straight with an exaggerated stretch, Evelynn sighs. “Well then, ladies. I’ll see you around. Ta-ta!”

A cackle, and just like that, the door is slammed in their faces.

* * *

Kai’Sa can’t sleep by the time she gets back to her room again at around six or so. 

It’s partially due to the sun starting to creep its way up the horizon, and partially due to the crime scene. She’s seen plenty of bodies over the years—many of them far worse and far more gruesome than the one she’d seen earlier, but still, something about this one sets her on edge. The frustrating part is she can’t put her finger on exactly why.

Actually—she can, partially. From the notes she’d been given, several of the people who’d tried to kill the beast were killed mere days after they’d arrived in town. The fact that the first death since she’s been in town was a week or so after she’d arrived, combined with the fact it’s very likely not monster activity… something about this whole situation just doesn’t sit right. What exactly she can do about it, though, she’s not sure. 

After pacing around the room for a few minutes, she decides it’s not productive to keep doing so and should probably take a ride to clear her head. Quickly grabbing her pocketwatch from where she’d left it on the dresser, Kai’Sa makes her way downstairs. 

The pleasant aroma drifting from the kitchen must mean that the innkeeper’s started prepping the daily meal, so if Kai’Sa’s going to go for a ride, she’s going to have to be prompt about it.

She makes her way around to the back of the building, and tendrils of shadow leap from her arms, swirling and writhing until they slowly shape into the familiar form of a horse.

Peaches shifts as she hops on his back, and Kai’Sa knows he can sense her agitation at the way he looks back at her, red eyes knowing. She pats his neck with one hand, taking the reins in the other.

“C’mon, old boy, lets’s go for a ride, yeah?”

A snort, and with a squeeze of her heels, they’re off.

The cool wind on her face is a familiar feeling, the steady up and down beat of hooves pounding against dirt grounding. A shriek rings out from the sky, and with a glance, Kai’Sa can see a hawk flying above, resting comfortably on the air currents. All in all, it’s a beautiful morning, and for a while, she manages to clear her head.

As she rides back through main street, another horse quickly pulls up on her opposite side.

“Morning,” Ahri calls, with a small wave, from atop a brown and white pinto. “You’re out early.”

Kai’Sa hums. “I could say the same to you.”

“True,” Ahri says, with a laugh, as she pats her horse. “Foxtrot here gets rather antsy if I don’t take her out for a jog every once in a while.”

“Peaches is the same,” Kai’Sa lies. “He likes a good run.”

Ahri hums. “All horses do. Even domesticated animals need to let loose every once in a while.”

“I suppose,” Kai’Sa says.

“You should come play cards again with us sometime,” Ahri offers, turning her eyes back towards the road in front of her. “It’s always more fun with more people.”

“I’ll think about it,” Kai’Sa says. “Depends on how busy I am.”

“If you’re free, then,” Ahri reiterates, “come play. I’ll pay for your drinks again.”

Kai’Sa hums. “If that means I’ll get some more actually decent booze, I’ll consider it.”

“Wonderful. We play on Tuesday afternoons.” Ahri pauses, as if wanting to say something more, before they get close to the entrance to the general store and she switches gears. “I have to go run some errands, but perhaps I’ll see you around.”

“Perhaps,” Kai’Sa echoes.

Ahri pulls off, and Kai’Sa is alone once more.

* * *

She takes Ahri up on the offer. Several times, actually. Kai’Sa doesn’t know if it’s because she pays for better booze (and Ezreal is wrapped around her finger) or because she actually enjoys the brief respite from the boredom of waiting for something to happen, but she finds herself eagerly waiting for every Tuesday afternoon. It’s a routine, and Kai’Sa has always been a creature of habit.

So, given that, she’s rather pissed when another body goes and messes it all up. And this time, it has the signs she’s looking for.

Granted, she had been annoyed by the lack of activity, but couldn’t it have happened on Wednesday instead? Or a Monday—everyone already hates those. Unfortunately, monsters go on nobody’s schedule but their own.

The victim is… for a lack of a better term, shredded—four slash wounds on the torso, pieces of limbs and fingers and toes scattered about. The last crime scene Kai’Sa had visited had been messy, yes, but in a far more contained sort of way. Kai’Sa’s first instinct would be to say that this was the work of a demon, but the scraps of fur caught in the hand that’s left mostly intact very much point to something else. What exactly it points to, though, she isn’t sure.

Manticores would have left scales behind as well, sphinxes aren’t in this part of the world, and werewolves (and most other werecreatures, for that matter) were already eliminated from being a possibility. 

“Well?” Vi asks. “Any idea what did it?”

Kai’Sa can practically feel the eyes of the gathered crowd on her as she stands up.

“No,” she admits. “But I have a hell of a lot of ideas for what didn’t. Helps narrow things down.” She twirls a tuft of off-white fur inbetween her her fingers. “The fur alone leaves far fewer possibilities.”

“Well, I suppose that’s somethin’.” Vi shrugs. “At the very least, we’re pretty sure this one isn’t murder. Malcolm was well-liked. Tobias wasn’t.”

“How well-liked?” Kai’Sa asks, because even though she’s about 90% sure this is monster related, there’s still plenty of wiggle-room in that other 10% for a murderer to work with. 

Vi frowns. “He used to be involved in some shady shit, but he used most of the money to start a school for the poor. Taught a lot of classes himself.”

Kai’Sa frowns. “So there’s still a chance someone from his shady days could have had a grudge to settle.”

“Possibly.” Vi brings up a hand to rub at her chin. “But if so, why wouldn’t they have offed him sooner?”

“Who knows,” Kai’Sa says, with a small shrug. “People are strange creatures. Animal behavior is far more predictable.”

“Both are easy enough, they just need practice,” Vi counters. “People are animals too. Learn to read em’ well enough and you’ll see their punches comin’ before they even throw ‘em.”

Kai’Sa hums. “Agree to disagree.”

“You’re the expert on monsters,” Vi says, “but you don’t seem much of a people person. Deal with enough of em’ and you start to see the patterns.”

“And that’s your opinion,” Kai’Sa says. “Mine differs.”

“Fair enough.” 

* * *

“You missed cards yesterday,” Ahri says, pulling up to the seat next to Kai’Sa at the bar. 

The man at the piano yet again plays away, a different tune today, slower, but no less peppy. It’s a bit grating, actually.

“Duty called, unfortunately,” Kai’Sa says, taking a sip of her drink. It’s shitty, and Kai’Sa doesn’t know if it’s because Ahri didn’t order it and Ezreal skimped her over or because she’s just in a bad mood. “I would have showed up if not for that.”

Ahri sends a small wave over to Ezreal. He already knows what she’s ordering, so he takes the signal for what it is and gets to work prepping her drink.

“I don’t doubt it. Eve asked where you were, actually,” Ahri says, with a hum. “She won’t ever say it, but I think she likes having you play with us.”

“What a surprise.” Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “I would have never guessed, considering she blows cigarette smoke in my face at every opportunity.”

“She’s just sizing you up. That’s her way of saying she approves.” Ahri shrugs. “I don’t get her sometimes, but that’s just kinda the way she is.”

“I suppose.” Kai’Sa hums, swirling her drink around. “I’ve heard she has quite the reputation.”

Ahri gives Ezreal a small smile as he drops off her drink, before turning back to Kai’Sa, amused. “Oh, honey, you have _no_ idea. You probably haven’t even heard the half of it.”

“I heard quite a bit from the deputy.” Kai’Sa shakes her head. “Apparently she’s all but untouchable.”

“Oh, very much so.” Ahri smiles. “She’s probably greased just about every palm in town at least once.”

“Not mine,” Kai’Sa counters.

Ahri shakes her head and takes a swig of her drink. “Not yet. Give her a reason to and she’ll do it.”

“She didn’t seem all that interested in bribery when the sheriff showed up at her door accusing her of murder,” Kai’Sa hums. “Seems more like the threats type.”

“Oh, that’s because she is. When bribery doesn’t work, that’s option two.” Ahri laughs. “She told me all about your little late night trip with the cops. You guys any closer to finding the killer?”

“As far as I know, no.” Another sip of shitty whiskey. “I’ve largely been focused on the more recent death, since that’s a bit more in my wheelhouse.” 

“Oh?” Ahri places her chin in her hand, interested. “The big bad wolf finally kill somethin’ again?”

“Not a wolf,” Kai’Sa says. “Werewolves can’t transform midday and kill someone like that. Poor man was torn to pieces.”

Ahri pouts. “It was a figure of speech. Lord knows I don’t know what the hell’s been killing people. Wish I did, I’d give it a stern talking to.” She pauses. “Or bribe Eve to shoot it a few times,” she adds, as an afterthought.

“You two are close, then?” Kai’Sa asks. 

“Thick as thieves.” Ahri nods, lifting her head up off her hand. “Literally, in her case—there’s a reason the sheriff isn’t fond of her. But you never really answered my question, earlier. Big bad wolf what kept you from showing up to bullshit?”

“Yes,” Kai’Sa answers. “It seems I’ve finally got a lead.”

“That’s good to hear.” Ahri takes another swig of her drink. “Good luck to you on that, by the way.”

“Thanks. I don’t need it.”

Ahri shakes her head. “Take it anyways, just in case. You never know when it’ll come in handy. A little good luck never hurt anyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to add the Akalynn tag for this one, lads. Had them in the plan from the beginning, but didn't want to add the tag in until I had anything to show for it. I wouldn't feel right tagging it and not delivering :( 
> 
> Getting to the point in the story where I'm going to have to keep my mouth shut a lot more, there's a ton of shit going down and most if not all of it is not getting tied up yet. I promise it will eventually, but it may take a bit longer ;) If you do choose to leave your theories in the comments (by all means, please do!), please keep in mind that I can likely neither confirm nor deny them this time around. Murder mystery isn't any fun without the mystery, so I gotta keep all my cards close to my chest on this one.
> 
> Unrelated to that god Kai'Sa being able to summon and desummon her monster symbiote horse at will is so sexy ma'am you have no right to be like that.


	3. Dancing at Seven, Whiskers at Eleven

Kai’Sa hates parties. Whether it be the fact that people have absolutely no respect for personal space, the fact that they tend to get disgustingly drunk and make the previous issue worse, or the fact that parties tend to be prime succubus hunting grounds, she doesn’t know, but she’s never quite comfortable at them.

It’s why she really wishes she had known there would be one before she went for a drink. She probably should have guessed by the music and the crowds, but poker nights get crowded too, so for all she had known it would just be more of the same.

It isn’t. Apparently, today happens to be some sort of town holiday Kai’Sa hadn’t been told about, and as a result, the saloon is positively _packed._

It’s hard to even hear her own thoughts over all the hooting and hollering and the piano and the fiddle. Kai’Sa turns around to leave almost as soon as she walks in the door, but a hand on her sleeve stops her retreat.

“Leaving so soon?” 

Kai’Sa glances over her shoulder to meet Ahri’s gaze. Ahri’s smile is warm and inviting, her eyes all but staring right into Kai’Sa’s soul. It’s honestly a bit uncomfortable.

“Why don’t you stay for a while?” When Kai’Sa doesn’t respond quickly, Ahri continues. “I’ll get you a drink. Some of the good stuff.”

“I’m not really one for parties,” Kai’Sa protests, but Ahri is already waving over towards Ezreal for a drink, pointing at Kai’Sa and raising two fingers in the air with a smile. Ezreal nods and finishes prepping drinks for another customer before getting to work.

“You’ve never been to a Mystic Shot shindig,” she says. “Stay a while. It’ll be fun, promise.”

Kai’Sa hesitates. 

“Trust me, you won’t wanna miss Akali on the fiddle. Or Eve, if I can convince her.” Ahri laughs. “Woman’s got magic fingers, I swear. The shit she can pull with that fiddle, _hoo_ _boy._ ”

“I suppose I could stay for one drink,” Kai’Sa says, after a pause. “But just one. No more.”

With a smile, Ahri tugs on her arm, and before Kai’Sa can even think about protesting, she finds herself dragged along behind her as they weave their way through people.

One drink turns to two and two quickly turns to three, and still Kai’Sa somehow doesn’t walk out that door.

Vi and Caitlyn twirl around on the makeshift dance floor (in reality, several tables had simply just been pushed aside for the purpose of allowing for more space), accompanied by several others. She watches as Akali shreds away on the fiddle, and even Evelynn, as she sits and alternates between her drink and her cigarette, taps along to the beat with her foot.

“Bet you could top that performance,” Ahri taunts, from across the table as Akali finishes her song and makes her way back over.

Evelynn sends Ahri an unamused glance.

“Well?” Akali asks, as she takes her seat, setting the fiddle aside. “What’d ya’ think?”

Evelynn smiles and gives Akali a slight tip of her hat. “That was wonderful, darling. It deserved a standing ovation.”

“Eve could do better,” Ahri says, with a small shrug and a teasing smile.

“Oh yeah? I doubt it.” Akali raises an eyebrow. “I’m pretty damn good, thank you very much.”

“She’s better.” Ahri nudges Evelynn. “Go on, go prove it, Eve. We’re waiting.”

Evelynn sighs, getting up from her seat and tossing her cigarette butt on the ground, stomping it under her boot. “I suppose, if it’ll shut you up.”

Akali passes over the fiddle with a laugh. “Go get em’, tiger. Knock em’ dead.”

A few draws of a bow over strings and Evelynn quickly has the people on the dance floor moving to her beat like puppets.

“C’mon,” Ahri says, setting her glass down and tugging on Kai’Sa’s arm. “Let’s go dance.”

“I don’t know how,” Kai’Sa counters, hesitant. “Not a party person, remember?”

“I’ll teach you,” Ahri says, tugging a little harder this time. “Just give it a try, I’m sure you’ll be a natural. You’re fast on your feet, you’ll figure it out.”

Reluctantly, Kai’Sa allows herself to be pulled to her feet. “Fine.”

* * *

Kai’Sa will admit—although she loathes to do so—that Ahri was right. Dancing _is_ fun—quite a lot of it, actually. And she’s good at it, too. It’s not something she would have ever guessed, as she’d never had a reason to try before. Something about the way just letting loose and moving to the music gets her blood pumping makes her want more.

Ahri is wild on the dance floor, something akin to a dust storm, hard to predict, intense, and able to suffocate you if you aren’t careful. She’s confident, sure in her steps, and surer in her orders.

“Twirl!” Ahri yells, raising a hand up in the air expectantly as the music hits a fast part.

“What?” Kai’Sa asks.

“Take my hand and twirl me around,” Ahri repeats, insistent. “Think of it as if I’m a spinning top. Actually, no, don’t think, just do—and hold on tight. Follow my lead.”

Kai’Sa doesn’t even have time to respond. As soon as she takes Ahri’s hand, she’s off, twirling herself outward, then inwards again, and then placing a hand on Kai’Sa’s shoulder for a moment.

“Right left right, forward back and forward again.” Taking Kai’Sa’s hand and moving it to the small of her back, Ahri grabs her free hand with the other. Ahri is all of a sudden uncomfortably close. “Like this. Move with me.”

“Okay.” Moving to the beat, Kai’Sa follows her instructions. One step forward, one step back, another step forward. Simple enough.

Ahri smiles, wide and genuine. “Feel free to kick your heels on the floor a few times anywhere inbetween things and jump around a bit if you’re feeling adventurous.” 

Kai’Sa lets her mouth curl into a small smirk, clicking her heels on the floor a few times to the beat of the music. “Like this?”

Ahri whistles. “You sure you’ve never danced before?”

Kai’Sa shakes her head. “Not once.”

“Well, it’d be hard to tell if you hadn’t told me that; you’re a natural!” Ahri laughs, before raising her arm in the air again. “Twirl me again.”

The skirt of Ahri’s dress flares out into the air as she spins, and a few strands of hair fall loose from the fancy side-swept bun she had put it in.

The song finishes as Ahri spins herself back in close, and a deep breath and a laugh is followed by slow applause.

A glance up, and Kai’Sa notices the crowd that had gathered around them. After a few moments a lanky man steps forward, offering his hand to Ahri.

“May I have the honor of your next dance, miss?” he asks, voice smooth, low and polite. “Your performance was simply exhilarating to watch. I found myself enchanted and simply knew I had to ask for your hand on the next one.”

Ahri parts from Kai’Sa with a small smile and a tiny little wave of her fingers, before turning towards the man and taking his hand with a small smile. “My, what a gentleman. Of course. My next dance is yours, my good sir.”

Kai’Sa takes her seat again, and Akali raises her glass. 

“You killed it out there,” she says, with an approving nod. “I rarely see people able to keep up with Eve’s rhythm. It’s not an easy thing to do.”

“Thank you,” Kai’Sa replies, with a huff. “I’m quite good at killing things, it seems.”

Akali laughs. “So it seems. You need me to work on any more bullets for ya’?”

Kai’Sa shakes her head. “Not yet. Haven’t shot many of the last ones you made me.”

“While we’re talkin’,” Akali starts, trying and failing to seem nonchalant. “That horse of yours—it wear shoes?”

“No,” Kai’Sa responds, with a slight raise of an eyebrow. “Why?”

Akali pumps her fist towards her chest. “I frickin’ called it. Ekko and I made a bet, and you just won it for me, my friend. I owe ya’ one.”

Kai’Sa snorts. “I suppose I should have guessed it was something like that.”

Glancing over towards the dance floor, Kai’Sa can only watch as the man Ahri is dancing with whispers something before twirling away. Ahri frowns—it’s subtle, there just for a second before it fades.

Ahri makes her way back to the table when the song finishes.

Kai’Sa glances up. “What’d he say?”

Ahri shrugs, taking a sip from her gin. “Nothing important. Don’t worry about it.”

Kai’Sa doesn’t quite believe that, but she doesn’t push it further.

* * *

Kai’Sa runs into the cat again on her way home. It’s a bit dirty and it could use a good brushing, but overall it isn’t any worse for wear, walking around main street as if it owns the place.

She stops to give it attention for a little bit until she decides she’s been out long enough and continues on her way back to the inn. The cat, apparently, is not satisfied with this, and follows her, one paw after the other.

The innkeeper glances up when Kai’Sa walks in, before his eyes quickly fall on the cat close behind.

“Ah. I see Princess has gotten another one, huh?” He says, with a chuckle, patting the counter and smiling as the cat hops up for attention. “You’re a sneaky girl, aintcha, kitty kitty. Swindlin’ everyone in town for chin scratches and jerky.”

“Princess?” Kai’Sa asks. “Is that her name?”

“Princess the fourth, actually,” the innkeeper corrects, as he runs his hand over the cat’s back. “Or maybe the fifth, I’m not sure. There’s always been one of her family runnin’ around this town for the past fifty years or so.”

Kai’Sa hums. “A long legacy.” She sticks her hand out, and Princess turns away from the innkeeper and sniffs it. Kai’Sa figures she must pass the cat’s test, as it shoves itself towards her hands shortly after. 

“It’s said if one of em’ takes to ya’ it’s a sign of good luck,” he explains. “Although they’ve all tended to be pretty friendly to most folks, the most recent addition to the royal family included.”

“Who owns her?” Kai’Sa asks, picking Princess up and gently cradling her in her arms. “She seems a bit dirty.”

“Nobody does.” A shrug. “She might as well be a town cat. Comes and goes as she pleases, and if anything ever happened to ‘er there’d be riots.”

“I see.” Kai’Sa hums. “So then nobody would be missing her tonight if I took her to get a proper bath?”

At the mention of the word “bath”, Princess tenses and lets out a hiss.

He laughs. “No. I doubt she’ll like it much, but I won’t stop ya’.”

Kai’Sa hums. “Perfect.” 

Shifting Princess in her arms slightly so as to better support her hind legs, Kai’Sa heads upstairs. Princess attempts to wiggle away, but Kai’Sa’s grip is firm. 

“Stop it,” Kai’Sa hisses. “You’re at least getting brushed. You’re filthy.”

As if to protest, Princess meows.

Kai’Sa sighs. She must have really had too much to drink at that party, considering she’s currently arguing with a cat.

“No water, no bath. Just a quick brush. Final offer.”

Kai’Sa swears the cat takes a moment to think about it before it relaxes.

“That a deal?” Kai’Sa fumbles with her room keys in one hand, shifting Princess into the other. “Dear lord, I need some sleep after this,” she mumbles. “Arguing with a cat. Too much whiskey.”

Some sleep, a few glasses of water, and everything will be fine and dandy again in the morning, she tells herself.

“C’mon, pretty kitty, let’s get you cleaned up.”

Kai’Sa doesn’t remember much after that.

* * *

A quick glance towards the open window tells Kai’Sa that she’d missed breakfast—by a lot. It’s something that’s obvious even through squinting eyes.

Peaches is a versatile beast, and having him live off her comes with many perks, but unfortunately (or fortunately? Life without getting buzzed would suck.) immunity to the effects of alcohol isn’t one of them.

She groans as she sits up, only to find a glass of water resting on the dresser. She doesn’t remember putting it there, but she had probably realized the night before that her hangover was going to suck and must have prepared ahead of time. God bless over-preparedness. 

She chugs the water faster than she probably should, and it soothes her headache slightly, but not completely. It’s just enough for her to get her thoughts together and get out of bed.

Stumbling over to the dresser, she reaches for her comb. Her hand brushes over wood, but finds nothing. She must have misplaced it—that’s fine, she can just brush her hair instead. Reaching over to the other side of the dresser for her hairbrush, Kai’Sa tries again. Still nothing.

She frowns, taking a moment to rub her eyes before looking more closely.

Her hairbrush is gone. So is her comb. 

Kai’Sa is a person of habit. She keeps things in certain places, and only when she uses them are they moved. It’s something that hasn’t changed in a long time, the constant reassurance of knowing _exactly_ where everything is a comfort. Perhaps it’s a coping mechanism, she doesn’t really know.

What she does know, however, is the fact that they are both out of place instantly sets her on edge. If it were only one, she would be able to pass it off as a drunken fluke, but both—no. Definitely not. Even when imbibed by the judgement-blurring effects of alcohol, Kai’Sa still has her routines. That’s not something that changes, even when she’s on autopilot mode.

She goes to the bathroom to run some water over her face in the hopes it’ll wake her up a bit more, only to frown when she finds fur all over her sink.

Right. The cat.

It had probably left through the window, if Kai’Sa had to guess. But did it steal her hairbrushes? The comb—fine, maybe that would make sense, cats like to rub their faces on things like that. But the hairbrush is large, and it wouldn’t make sense for it to be able to take both—or why it would even want to.

It doesn’t make sense, but there’s no other explanation for it. A person can’t get in through the window, the door is locked, and Kai’Sa doesn’t _ever_ change her routines.

Grabbing a few tufts of fur, Kai’Sa turns it in her hands before coming to an unsettling realization. If not for the dirt, the cat hair is extremely similar in both texture and color to the fur found on Malcolm’s body.

Her stomach twists. She doesn’t know exactly what to do about this, but she knows one thing for sure: she needs to find that cat again. (If it’s even a cat, that is. Who knows, at this point.)

* * *

Princess is surprisingly hard to track down, considering her reputation. She comes and goes like a phantom, and whenever Kai’Sa finally gets to where she’s been sighted, she’s already long gone.

It’s almost as if she knows Kai’Sa’s been looking for her, like some sort of keep-away game. She manages to catch a glimpse of a fluffy white tail by the side of the general store, but by the time Kai’Sa gets close, Princess isn’t there anymore.

It’s annoying, but she can deal with it later. She has some errands to run, number one being that she needs a new hairbrush. The general store is disorganized, and the clerk is unhelpful at best. Kai’Sa’s only scanned through about half the merchandise when she hears a familiar voice call over.

“Fancy seeing you here, Kai’Sa.”

Kai’Sa sighs, turning around. “Hello, Ahri.”

Ahri glances her over and gives her a pitying look. “Hangover?” she asks, as if it wasn’t painfully obvious by the bags under Kai’Sa’s eyes and her cranky mood.

“I had quite a bit more than one drink last night,” Kai’Sa answers. “So yes.”

Ahri hums. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kai’Sa shakes her head. “You didn’t force me to drink.”

“No, but I paid for them.” Ahri chuckles. “You were pretty shitfaced by the time you headed home.”

Kai’Sa huffs. “I could have turned you down had I really wanted to. Or left it untouched. Getting shitfaced was entirely my choice.” She pauses for a minute, tongue tripping over her words as her fingers brush past a few bars of soap on the shelf. “And I… it was a good one. Last night was fun. I enjoyed it.”

Ahri smiles. “I’m glad. I had fun too.” Ahri watches as Kai’Sa continues searching the shelf. “You searchin’ for something in specific there? I’ve been coming here for years, I can probably help you find what you’re looking for, if you want.”

“A comb. Or a hairbrush. Or both, actually,” Kai’Sa says, with a shake of her head. “Mine were stolen by our local furry celebrity. Her royal highness has sticky paws, it seems.”

“Are you telling me Princess stole your hairbrush?” Ahri pauses, taking a moment to process Kai’Sa’s words. “That’s… unusual. You sure you didn’t just misplace it?”

“Positive,” Kai’Sa confirms. “I always keep my stuff in the same place. Even when I drink a bit more than I should, I don’t tend to change my habits.”

Ahri frowns. “Did you ever check all the cabinets and drawers? People occasionally do strange things when drunk. I know Princess well, I doubt she stole your things.”

“No. I didn’t check. I’ll have to do that later.” Kai’Sa hums. “Either way, I still don’t think it’d hurt to pick up an extra or two.”

“I suppose.” Ahri hums, before turning. “You’re looking on the wrong side of the store, though, if a hairbrush is what you’re after.”

Kai’Sa pulls her hand back from the shelf. “Where exactly should I be looking, then?”

Ahri smiles. “Let me show you.”

Despite herself, Kai’Sa gives a small smile back. “Lead the way, then.”

* * *

Kai’Sa checks every drawer and every cabinet when she gets back to her room. She finds her hairbrush in one of the dresser drawers, but not her comb. 

It’s puzzling, but she doesn’t have time to focus on it. She has work to do. Her new hairbrush is quickly set in its proper place, right next to the old one, and it’s off to the jailhouse for the autopsy report. After that, it’s off to the school to interview some of Malcolm’s colleagues, and after _that_ , it’s a whole slew of other errands, running around town until the sun starts to set.

By the time she finishes for the day, she’s exhausted. For some reason, even after last night’s alcohol fiasco, she still wants a drink. But just one—for real this time.

Mystic Shot is largely empty when she walks in. If Kai’Sa had to guess, a lot of folks had taken the day off from drinking after the night before.

Evelynn is not a lot of folks. Sitting in the back corner, cigarette in hand, she sends a small wave as Kai’Sa walks in.

“Back already?” She drawls, as Kai’Sa makes her way over. “I would have thought you’d had enough of booze after last night.”

“Unfortunately, it’s been a long day. Needed my fix.”

Ezreal’s quick to bring her over a glass of whiskey without Kai’Sa even needing to ask. She sends a nod his way as he drops off the drink.

“Chasing a cat around town all day makes you thirsty.”

Evelynn takes a drag of her cigarette with a small hum and a raised eyebrow. “Chasing cats? How come?”

“Found fur on the crime scene that seems to match up with Princess. I want to find out why.”

Evelynn laughs.

Kai’Sa frowns. “Is something funny?”

A puff of smoke is blown into Kai’Sa’s face with a smirk. “Sweetheart, if you were looking for Princess, you could just ask Ahri.” 

Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow and waves the smoke out of her face with a small cough. “What do you mean by that?”

“Princess might as well be her cat,” Evelynn says, with a sip of her drink, tone amused. “She knows that thing better than anyone.”

“The innkeeper had told me that nobody owned Princess,” Kai’Sa says, with a small frown. 

Evelynn shrugs. “A lie. That cat’s basically Ahri’s in every way that matters.”

“Huh.” Kai’Sa takes a sip of her drink. Ezreal’s gotten better about not skimping out when Ahri’s not around, lately. “I don’t suppose you’d know where I could find her tonight, then?”

Evelynn’s smile grows wider, showing far too many teeth. “I do know, yes.”

Kai’Sa leans in slightly, interested. “And that would be?”

“Make it worth my while and I’ll tell you.” Lightly spinning the alcohol around in her glass, Evelynn waits. When Kai’Sa doesn’t do anything in response, Evelynn clicks her tongue. “I’m waiting.”

Kai’Sa turns, and catches Ezreal’s gaze. “Put her drinks on my tab,” she says, nodding slightly towards Evelynn.

“You got it, Miss Kai’Sa,” he says.

Kai’Sa turns back towards Evelynn, expectant, raising an eyebrow.

Evelynn hums, as if thinking things over, before she sighs. “I suppose that will do. I’m assuming you’ll need directions?”

“That’d be appreciated.”

* * *

Ahri opens the door slowly, first peeking out to check who’s on the other side. Upon seeing it’s Kai’Sa, she opens the door fully.

“I didn‘t tell you where I live,” she says, pointing out the obvious.

“Evelynn did,” Kai’Sa responds. “She told me you’d be able to help me locate Princess.”

Ahri laughs, before pausing, eyes narrowing. “Did she really?”

“She did.” Kai’Sa crosses her arms. “The innkeeper told me nobody owned her, but Evelynn told me that the most recent addition to the royal family is your cat.” She shrugs. “Figured I’d come and ask.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t own a cat. Let alone that one.” Ahri chuckles. “The first thing I should have told you about Eve is that she often tends to be a massive liar.”

“I see.” Kai’Sa says, visibly deflating. “So you don’t know where Princess might be? It’s very very important that I find her.”

Ahri shakes her head. “I don’t.”

Kai’Sa curses under her breath. “Sorry to bother you, then.”

“Don’t be. It’s not your fault Eve lied to you. I never warned you not to listen to what she says.” Ahri gives her a sympathetic look. “If anything, I’m sorry I’m not much help. I wish I could tell you where to find Princess, but I don’t know myself. I just know she’s not here right now.” Ahri shrugs. “Cats are weird. She’ll show up eventually, I’m sure.”

“I suppose.”

Ahri leans against the side of the doorway. “Did you ever find your hairbrush?”

“Yes, actually, I did.” Kai’Sa admits. “But not my comb. Tore the room apart looking for it and it was nowhere to be found.”

Ahri hums. “That’s unfortunate. I’m glad you found your hairbrush, though. That’s something, at least, yeah?”

“Yes. I suppose it is.” Kai’Sa shrugs. “And now I have an extra—”

A brief glance past Ahri’s shoulder and Kai’Sa’s breath catches in her throat. There, on top of a small cabinet, right next to a pair of scissors, is her comb. It’s covered in matted white fur, but she knows it’s hers—all the small little dents and scratches and chipped teeth match up exactly to the one in her memory.

Suddenly, it all feels so obvious. Evelynn’s smug smile when she had said Ahri would know where Princess was, Ahri’s insistence that she needed to check the cabinets, hell, even the reason Ahri can be so reclusive sometimes.

“I didn’t set a glass of water out for myself this morning,” she breathes, coming to a realization. “You did. And you knew where my hairbrush was because you put it there. You’re the cat. Princess isn’t here because she’s _you.”_

Ahri quickly presses a finger to Kai’Sa’s lips with a hissed out _shhhhh_ mere moments after the words leave Kai’Sa’s mouth, before glancing around to make sure nobody had heard. When she’s satisfied that they’re sufficiently alone, Ahri grabs Kai’Sa by the collar of her jacket and pulls her inside with a tight smile.

“Let’s talk inside, yes?” 

Kai’Sa doesn’t even have time to respond before Ahri closes the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I didn't want to leave it on a cliffhanger, but it was the only stopping point I could cut it off at while maintaining the right flow I wanted :( Anyways. Kahri gay behavior on main send tweet. Get Kai’Sa drunk and her true colors show: dumb gay baby.


	4. And the Cat Came Back

Ahri reaches for Kai’Sa’s gun before Kai’Sa can, plucking it out of its holster, removing the bullets, and securely tucking it away in the waistband of her pants.

“Sorry. No weapons for this chat.” Ahri pushes Kai’Sa towards an armchair. “Sit. I’ll go get us something to snack on.”

Kai’Sa stays standing. “How do I know you aren’t just going to sneak out the backdoor?”

Ahri gives her an unimpressed glance. “I wouldn’t have pulled you into my living room if I didn’t want to explain things. Trust me, this will be better with something to munch on. Business isn’t ever complete without snacks.” Waving a hand dismissively, she heads out into another room. “Take a seat. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”

After a few seconds, Kai’Sa sits. It doesn’t take long for Ahri to come back with a small plate of cookies. 

Kai’Sa half expects Ahri to start explaining things, but she doesn’t. Ahri simply watches, taking a seat across from Kai’Sa and nibbling on a cookie.

“You’re not human,” Kai’Sa says. 

“No. I’m not,” Ahri confirms. “But you’re not either, are you?”

Kai’Sa ignores Ahri’s question. “What are you?”

“Gumiho, demon, witch—I’ve been called by a whole slew of names.” Ahri shrugs. “Pick whichever one you like.”

“And which one is the most accurate?”

“All of them are.” With a snap of her fingers, furry black ears materialize on the top of Ahri’s head, a white tail appears, and blue eyes give way to gold. “But mostly, I’m Ahri.” At Kai’Sa’s unamused stare, Ahri elaborates. “But I suppose the term you’re probably looking for would be shapeshifter. Princess just happens to be one of my more recent favorite appearances.”

The whisker marks on her cheeks make that incredibly hard to believe.

“I see.” Kai’Sa hums. “I don’t suppose you’d mind explaining why your fur was found on Malcolm’s body?” Kai’Sa finds herself instinctively reaching for the handle of her gun, only to grasp around empty air. Living armor creeps its way down her forearms and up towards her shoulders.

Ahri shrugs, watching Kai’Sa’s arms with a sharp gaze. “Don’t know that myself. I’ve made a lot of enemies over the years, I figure someone must want me dead by now. They’re too cowardly to do it themselves, so they go around making other folks do it for ‘em.” Ahri pauses for another bite of a cookie. “Either that, or someone who gave me a lot of attention forgot to clean themself off when they murdered someone. There’s a lot of options, to be honest.”

Kai’Sa pauses. “So you’re saying you’re not responsible for any of the recent deaths?”

“No. Definitely not.” Ahri chuckles. “Haven’t killed anyone in a few hundred years. That’s always been more Evelynn’s thing, and she doesn’t kill anyone within city limits.”

A few hundred years. If Ahri herself hadn’t already admitted to not being human, that statement alone would be a dead giveaway. But the mention of Evelynn...

“Are you implying that Evelynn is—”

“Not human?” Ahri cuts her off and smiles, giving Kai’Sa a full view of sharp canines. “Yes. There’s a reason she carries four guns around instead of two. Eve can be a bit extra when it comes to her appearance, but when it comes to her weapons...” Ahri shrugs. “She doesn’t carry them around just for the aesthetic.”

Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “And I don’t suppose you're going to tell me she isn’t responsible for the deaths either?”

Ahri tilts her head. “Would you believe me if I did?”

Kai’Sa shakes her head, pursing her lips. “Not fully, no.”

“Then I won’t tell you that,” she says, finishing the cookie with a small hum. “What I will say, though, is that if either of us wanted someone dead, the sheriff wouldn’t find the body. Nobody would, actually.”

The shifting layer of purple and gray on Kai’Sa’s arms crawls up her neck, as if sensing the threat contained in the words.

“I see,” Kai’Sa says.

They fall into silence for a few, Kai’Sa thinking things over before Ahri speaks up again and snaps her out of her thoughts.

“Try one. They’re homemade.”

The platter of cookies is suddenly in front of her face, and Kai’Sa hesitantly reaches up a hand.

“These have arsenic in them. Or cyanide,” Kai’Sa says, inspecting one in her fingers, skeptical. A few crumbs fall off as she turns it.

Ahri pulls the platter back with a huff and a roll of her eyes. “Please. I’ve eaten five of them today, one right in front of you. They’re chocolate chip cookies, not rat poison.”

“Those aren’t mutually exclusive events.” Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “And as far as I know, it’s not smart to accept food from people connected to murders.”

“Fine then.” Ahri shrugs, reaching for a cookie herself. “Don’t eat it. You’re the one missing out, not me. If I wanted you dead I already had plenty of chances.”

Kai’Sa can’t argue with that. She still doesn’t eat any cookies, just in case.

* * *

Kai’Sa doesn’t sleep much that night—racing thoughts don’t let her.

It’s hard to separate Ahri the woman from Ahri the monster—and Kai’Sa hesitates to even use the latter description in regards to her. It doesn’t fit.

Monsters are evil at their core; they kill and they take and they ruin simply because they _can._ Anyone who’s spent any time in the void knows the horrors monsters are capable of—it’s part of the reason why Kai’Sa took to killing them so adamantly: if you don’t kill a monster, it’ll kill you first and keep on going like nothing had ever happened.

To Kai’Sa, monster hunting is not a job, but a _duty._ Since she has the ability to stop them, she does. But in this case, things are not so black and white. 

There’s no guilt in killing something that only exists to kill others. Kai’Sa’s sure Ahri’s killed people before—hell, she had admitted to it herself—but that’s not all she does. And that’s the part Kai’Sa doesn’t get.

A monster wouldn’t teach her to dance and buy her drinks, a monster wouldn’t set out a glass of water in the morning for her hangover, a monster wouldn’t smile like that with a chiming, _genuine_ laugh—and yet a person cannot turn into a cat, either. Ahri doesn’t quite fit in either category.

Then again, does Kai’Sa have any right to judge? Most people don’t have a connection with a creature either—if Ahri is a monster, then so is she. It’s a fine line, and one she’s been well aware of for a long time, but one she’d never suspected she’d ever think of crossing. 

She still hasn’t crossed it, and she won’t. It’d go against everything Father lived for—Father _died_ for.

(But so does Peaches, so would it really be all that bad? She’s already made Father roll in his grave more than once, what harm would a few more times be?)

As if sensing her thoughts, a small wisp of shadow pokes its way out of the bottom of her sleeve.

Kai’Sa huffs. She’s fine. Everything’s fine. People are dead, and her only leads are a lady who can turn into a cat and a woman with a bodycount a mile high—and she’s pretty sure that neither of them are the ones responsible—but she’s just fucking fine.

A soft wet nose is pushed into shaking hands.

A glance up and familiar red eyes stare back, but from a canine face instead of an equine one. Peaches watches, tail wagging—eagerly mimicking the labrador retriever she’d had as a child what feels like so long ago now. He knows what he’s doing just as well as she does—he has her memories easily accessible.

“Hey, buddy,” she says, as he continues pushing his face into her hands. His fur is stiff, shifting under her fingertips and clearly not natural, but no more so than when he takes any other shape. “Things are pretty crazy right now, huh.”

She runs a hand over floppy ears over to his back and then up towards his head again, a repetitive down-and-back motion that helps to calm her racing heartbeat. Slowly, her hands stop shaking. 

By the time she wakes up in the morning, Peaches is gone, back to lurking under her skin. 

* * *

Ahri is significantly harder to find for a few days, and Kai’Sa isn’t bold enough to go waltzing up to Ahri’s doorstep when she still has quite a few stolen silver bullets on her hands.

Luckily, Kai’Sa doesn’t have to, and she finds Ahri sitting on a barstool at the saloon when she goes for her fix of alcohol.

Kai’Sa takes the seat next to her.

“Can we talk?”

“Here?” Ahri glances around before taking a sip of her gin with a small hum. “Depends on what about, but possibly.”

Kai’Sa takes a seat at the bar and waves over to Ezreal for a drink.

“What do you think I want to talk about?” Kai’Sa asks sarcastically. She knows damn well that Ahri knows what she means.

“Not sure.” Ahri tilts her head with a slight frown, playing coy. “But it certainly couldn’t be my cooking, considering you didn’t eat any of my cookies—which, by the way, was a bit rude.”

Kai’Sa huffs. “Was it.”

“Oh, _extremely.”_ Ahri nods. “Why, I put my heart and soul into those cookies.”

Giving a quick nod to Ezreal as he drops off her drink, Kai’Sa watches as he retreats into the back room to get something, before turning towards Ahri with a curious glance.

“Do you even have those? A heart and a soul?”

Ahri raises an eyebrow, looking to make sure Ezreal’s still in the back room before she answers. “Shouldn’t you know? You’re the monster expert here, not me.”

Kai’Sa shrugs, swirling the whiskey in her glass. “I’m afraid I haven’t had much experience with—” She pauses to find the right words. “—people like you.”

At that, Ahri laughs.

“People?” She smiles, and for a moment she looks so angelically normal Kai’Sa almost wants to forget what she’d seen a few days prior. Almost. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken—I’m one of a kind.” 

Kai’Sa pauses at that. “My apologies for assuming.”

“Don’t be.” Ahri shakes her head. “You had no way of knowing.” She shrugs, taking a sip of her gin. “For a while, I didn’t know it myself.”

“I see.” 

They both fall silent for a few as Ezreal comes back to his place behind the bar.

Ahri leans in on the counter and places her chin on her hand. “If you’re really that curious, I’d be happy to tell you whatever you want to know—just not here.” She sends a quick glance in Ezreal’s direction. “I have nothing to hide, but it’s not something to be talked about in polite company, I’m afraid.”

“Then where would you suggest we talk?” Kai’Sa asks.

The edges of Ahri’s lips curl up ever so slightly. “You know where I live, don’t you?”

Kai’Sa frowns. “You couldn’t possibly be suggesting—”

Ahri cuts her off. “I’m not suggesting. If you want to talk, we do it there. Otherwise, no more questions.” Finishing her drink in one large swig, Ahri places the empty glass back onto the counter with a deep breath. “You know where to find me. Feel free to stop by later.”

She gets up and walks out with a sway of her hips.

Ezreal waggles his eyebrows at Kai’Sa after he watches Ahri leave. “Oh my, Miss Kai’Sa, you _dog._ ”

“Ezreal?” she says, catching his attention.

Ezreal springs to attention at the call of his name. “Yes, Miss Kai’Sa?”

“Please be quiet.”

Ezreal winks. “You got it, ma’am. Not another word.”

“And put my drinks on Ahri’s tab.”

Ezreal, to his credit, doesn’t respond with words, but the shit-eating grin that curls its way across his face says more than enough. 

* * *

Kai’Sa stops by the forge on the way over to Ahri’s place.

“I need more bullets.”

Akali pauses her hammering, looking up from the red-hot horseshoe she’d been working on. “Already? What happened to the last batch I made you?”

Kai’Sa frowns. “Indisposed of, unfortunately.”

“That’s a damn shame. I did a pretty good job with those ones.” She pauses. “Not that I don’t always do a good job, that is.” Akali shrugs. “But I’m rambling—so long as ya’ got the cash, I can get right on it.”

“Of course.” Kai’Sa pulls out a small pouch of money. “I’m assuming it’s the same price as last time?”

Akali shakes her head, setting her hammer down and throwing the horseshoe back into the fire. “Nah. Repeat customers get a discount. Pa’ insists. Something about keepin’ the balance of customer satisfaction and good business or whatever.”

“Well then keep the change.” Kai’Sa sets the pouch of money on a nearby table. “I pre-counted it, and I’m not lacking funds.”

Akali looks over at the money with a frown. “I can’t accept that.”

“I insist.” Kai’Sa doesn’t budge. “You’re always extremely prompt about things, consider it a tip.”

Grabbing the horseshoe back out of the fire and giving it a few hits with her hammer, Akali shakes her head. “Then I especially can’t take it. We’re gonna be slower than usual. Got a large order of shoes, and someone wants a shit ton of rifle ammo too.”

“That’s fine. My answer isn’t changing,” Kai’Sa reiterates, before she processes the words. The horseshoes make sense, but a ton of rifle ammo? “What does someone need all the rifle ammo for? Are they planning on going coyote hunting or something?”

Akali shrugs. “Dunno. They paid enough that I didn’t ask. We’ve had stranger requests.”

Kai’sa tilts her head, curious. “Such as?”

“Once had a guy who wanted forty soup ladles,” Akali huffs. 

“Forty?” Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “All at once?”

“Yup,” Akali confirms. “To this day I don’t know why he wanted so many at once. Must have really liked soup or somethin’.”

“Huh.”

Akali looks up from the anvil. “You comin’ to cards again next Tuesday?”

“Of course.” Kai’Sa nods. “I wouldn’t miss it if I didn’t have to.”

“Thank god.” Akali pauses for a moment to hit the horseshoe until it’s the shape she wants. “Eve takes advantage of the lack of competition when you’re not around. It’s goddamn unfair.”

Kai’Sa chuckles. “She does seem the opportunist type.”

“Oh, you have _no_ idea.” Grabbing a tool off of the table, Akali starts to hit little holes into the body of the horseshoe for the nails. “Hopefully I’ll have the bullets done before next Tuesday, and I can just hand ‘em to ya then, save you a trip over.”

“That’d be wonderful,” Kai’Sa says, with a grateful smile. “But don’t rush it if you’re busy.”

“Nah,” Akali says, with a shake of her head, lifting her tongs in the air and inspecting the now mostly finished horseshoe. “I like a good challenge. Gives me somethin’ to work towards.”

“Then I suppose I wish you luck.”

Akali sets the tongs and the horseshoe aside, brushing sweat off her brow with the back of her hand with a wide grin.

“Luck is for losers. I’m not gonna lose at my own challenge, so thanks for the offer, but keep it. I don’t need it.”

* * *

Ahri drags Kai’Sa into the kitchen as soon as she arrives. (And this time, she does not reach for her gun.)

“I thought we were going to talk,” Kai’Sa protests.

“We are,” Ahri says, dashing around the kitchen and grabbing things left and right. 

Quickly shoving a few wood pieces into the oven, she shuts the door once she’s satisfied the fire is burning hot enough. 

“But I was about to make a fresh batch of cookies when you got here.” Ahri turns, raising a questioning eyebrow. “I trust you’ll eat one this time, if I make them right in front of you?”

Kai’Sa hums. “You could still have poisoned the flour.”

“Sure.” Ahri snorts. “I’m out of chocolate, so they’ll just be sugar, I think, if that’s alright. A little molasses and they should be just as wonderful.”

“They’re your cookies. Do what you want with them,” Kai’Sa admits. “Are you going to keep talking about cookies all day?”

Ahri takes a moment to think it over. “I might, if you don’t ask me any questions.”

Kai’Sa frowns. If that’s how Ahri wants to be, then so be it. “You said you’re one of a kind. What happened to the others?”

“Not sure.” Ahri shrugs, grabbing a large metal bowl. “Never met any.”

Kai’Sa watches as one by one, Ahri starts putting some ingredients into the bowl. “What do you mean by that?”

“First thing I ever remembered was living up north with a bunch of arctic foxes. For a while, I thought I was one.” She shrugs, grabbing a cup to measure the flour. “As far as I know, there never _were_ others.” Ahri turns, eyes curious. “And you? Where are _you_ from?”

“You invited me here to ask the questions,” Kai’Sa protests.

“And it’s rude not to repay the favor,” Ahri hums, grabbing a wooden spoon and waving it at Kai’Sa. “So, I’ll ask again. Where are you from? And your little _friend_ —when’d you pick that up?”

“Shurima, and a while ago,” Kai’Sa answers. “It isn’t something I like to talk about.”

Ahri hums. “I went to Shurima once. Too much sand.”

“And yet you currently live in a desert,” Kai’Sa points out. 

Ahri frowns. “That’s different. There’s no dunes here, just dust.”

Kai’Sa watches as Ahri pours what is definitely too much flour for a single batch of cookies into the cup. Kai’Sa places a hand on Ahri’s wrist to stop her, and Ahri glances up in response.

“That’s too much flour,” she says. “Your cookies will be dry.”

“Oh?” Ahri says, amused. “And you know how to bake, miss monster slayer?”

“I do,” Kai’Sa admits. “It’s been a long time, but… I learned from my mother.” Kai’Sa gently scoops some flour back into the container as Ahri watches. “You should be fine. Don’t add any more than this.”

“You seem to know what you’re doing,” Ahri says, appraisingly. “Your mother must be a good cook.”

“She was,” Kai’Sa confirms.

“Ah.” Ahri backpedals slightly, taking note of Kai’Sa’s use of the past tense. “My apologies.”

“Don’t be,” Kai’Sa says. “It was a long time ago. I have bigger problems on my hands right now.”

“True,” Ahri agrees. “Like what’ll happen if you don’t eat my cookies again.”

“We’ll see,” Kai’Sa says, unphased by the threat. “I’m less worried about poisoned cookies, now.”

“Good,” Ahri says.

A small, mischievous smile creeps its way onto Kai’Sa’s face. “I’m more worried about them being edible, if I’m being honest.” Ahri glares, and Kai’Sa can’t help the chuckle that escapes her chest. “You may be able to turn into a cat, but you can’t turn yourself into a baker.”

“Do it yourself, then, if you think you’re so good at it,” Ahri huffs, turning away from the bowl and setting her spoon down, offended.

Kai’Sa takes the challenge that it is. “Fine then. I will.” She grabs the wooden spoon and starts examining the contents of the bowl. “We’re going to need some more molasses.”

* * *

Kai’Sa eats far more cookies than she probably should. Somewhere between her third and her fourth one they open a bottle of moonshine, taking turns drinking it right from the old, dusty bottle.

If not for the alcohol, with the heat of the oven and the taste of home cooking she could almost pretend she’s ten again. 

By their second bottle of moonshine, they devolve into gossip. Akali and Evelynn’s love life, Ezreal’s lack of one, just about anything and everything goes with lips loosened by liquid courage.

Kai’Sa doesn’t remember falling asleep, but she wakes on a neatly made bed to the smell of bacon and eggs. Peeling the blanket that had been draped over her off, Kai’Sa makes her way out of what she assumes is a guest room and towards the smell of food.

“Morning,” Ahri calls, working a cast iron pan over the woodstove. “You hungry?”

Kai’Sa pauses. “I could eat.”

She peeks over Ahri’s shoulder just to make sure that her cooking skills are better than her baking skills—which, thank god, they seem to be. (Either that, or she’s just not bad enough at it to screw up bacon and eggs. If Kai’Sa were to tell the truth, she highly suspects the latter.)

“No complaints about poison this time?” Ahri asks, with an amused smile and a raised eyebrow.

“If you wanted to poison me I’d be dead from the moonshine,” Kai’Sa says, with a shrug, as Ahri puts some bacon and eggs on a plate and passes it over. With a grateful nod, Kai’Sa takes the plate. “If I die now, it’s not my fault.”

“I see,” Ahri says. “Would be a shame, for the first monster to getcha to be death by eggs.”

“The werewolves in Targon would have quivered in fear at the sight of these eggs,” Kai’Sa says, completely serious, as she takes a bite. “They’re dryer than the sands of Shurima.”

Ahri raises an eyebrow. “And you would know that, how, exactly? You saying you ate sand?”

“Tried it once.” Kai’Sa shrugs. “Wouldn’t recommend it.” 

Ahri turns, as if expecting another witty comment to follow, but none comes. “You’re serious? _You_ ate sand? For some reason, I find that hard to believe.”

“I was a toddler,” Kai’Sa explains, around a mouthful of food. “Kids aren’t known for being smart.”

Ahri moves to grab more eggs, and Kai’Sa gets up and reaches for the pan, leaving her food behind, forgotten.

“Let me,” she says. “You’ll butcher some poor chicken’s hard work.”

“Excuse you, I didn’t butcher the eggs,” Ahri argues, but she steps away from the stove anyways. 

“No,” Kai’Sa agrees, “but you’d make your butcher cry with what you did with them.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ahri takes a seat and huffs. “I get it. I suck at cooking. Is this how you repay someone’s hospitality?”

Kai’Sa cracks two eggs into the pan and puts it back onto the woodstove. “Most people would take it as a complement that I offered to cook,” she says.

“I’m not most people,” Ahri points out. 

“No,” Kai’Sa agrees, over the crackle of bacon grease and frying eggs. “You’re not.”

“I suppose that’s what keeps things interesting, no?” Ahri says, placing her chin in her hands. “Being normal is boring.”

Kai’Sa hums. “At least normal people can cook.”

Ahri scoffs. “You’re not normal either with your little void friend, don't pull that shit.”

Kai’Sa glances back, surprised. 

Ahri simply shrugs. “I’ve been around a while. You learn to recognize things when you see them.”

“I suppose I should have guessed you knew,” Kai’Sa admits, after a moment. 

Ahri smiles. “You’re not as subtle as you think you are.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahri: Ok so now that you know I’m a monster please don’t kill me aha you’re so sexy, wanna hear about my abandonment issues? 👉👈
> 
> Ahri takes full advantage of Kai'Sa's two exploitable weaknesses: gay thoughts and and incurable curiosity.  
> Stay safe, and happy holidays.


	5. Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked

Occasionally Kai’Sa will wake up to a tap at her window. Sometimes, it’s just the wind pushing against old, smudged glass. Others, it’s accompanied by the scratch of claws, a small meow, and golden eyes glowing in the flickering light of the oil lamp on her bedside table.

Some nights she is still awake when the call at her window comes, poring over notes and clues and evidence for some _shred_ of an idea of where to go next. Tonight is not one of them, but the familiar _scritch-scratch_ of claws on glass sends Kai’Sa’s eyes shooting open faster than a speeding bullet.

“What is it this time?” Kai’Sa grumbles, turning her lamp on with a small twist of the little knob at the bottom. A glance at her pocketwatch shows the time’s a bit past midnight. Annoying.

Kai’Sa cracks the window open, and Ahri slides through it as if she owns the place, confident and languid, one paw after the other.

“It’s cold outside, you know,” she says. It’s still odd to hear what is very distinctly _Ahri’s_ voice coming from a cat, ringing out in her mind like a bell, clear and crisp. “You took forever to let me in.”

“I was asleep,” Kai’Sa protests, shutting the window behind her. “So sorry I wasn’t fast enough to answer your royal highness.”

“You’re forgiven,” Ahri says, as she hops up onto the dresser. “In the future, though, I expect you to rectify that error.”

“Of course,” Kai’Sa agrees sarcastically, leaning against the windowsill. “Have you any other requests, _Princess?_ ”

“I have many requests,” Ahri says, glancing back at Kai’Sa, tail hanging off the edge of the cabinet and lightly swishing side to side. “But not many for you.”

“But there are still some, then,” Kai’Sa points out, pushing herself up and making her way over. From a quick glance, it’s easy to see that Ahri’s fur is dirty and a bit matted in a few spots. “You’re filthy.”

“I’m aware.” Ahri brings a paw up to daintily lick at it. “Your hairbrush seemed to do a pretty good job of fixing that problem last time.”

“Is that your way of asking for help?” Kai’Sa says, with a raised eyebrow. Even though this version of Ahri is rather small, her confidence still seems to tower above everyone around her. 

“I wouldn’t be opposed to it.” Ahri’s ears perk up at the idea.

“And this couldn’t wait until the morning?” Kai’Sa sighs as she grabs her hairbrush from its spot. 

“No,” Ahri answers, with a slight purr as Kai’Sa starts to run it down her back. “It’s best these sorts of issues are dealt with as soon as possible.”

“How do you even manage to get yourself so dirty so quickly?” Kai’Sa pauses for a moment when she hits a small mat, grabbing her comb and slowly working through it. “It’s honestly ridiculous.”

The purring doesn’t stop. “What can I say? I have a talent for getting into trouble. It’s a cat thing. You wouldn’t get it.”

Kai’Sa hums, and her comb snags on another mat. “I suppose that’s true. I wouldn’t get it—I’ve always been more of a dog person.”

“Good thing I’m not always a cat, then,” Ahri says.

Another snag of the comb, and this time, Ahri turns with a small hiss as Kai’Sa tugs just a little too hard.

“I don’t know, you seem pretty catty to me,” Kai’Sa says, with a small chuckle. 

“Shut up and keep brushing or I’ll claw you to shreds,” Ahri hisses, but the little purr that follows the words gives away the hollowness of the threat.

Kai’Sa doesn’t respond with words, but she can practically feel fur bristle under her fingertips as she smiles.

* * *

Kai’Sa wakes to a blob of white fur curled into her side and the smell of smoke. The latter sends her eyes shooting open far quicker than the former, but the former is still admittedly a surprise. (Not an unpleasant one, but still a surprise nonetheless.)

Ahri uncurls herself rather quickly when she feels Kai’Sa shift, lifting her head up inquisitively. She, too, it seems, smells the smoke in the air, because it only takes a few breaths for the fur on her tail to puff up.

“We haven’t had a proper fire in years,” Ahri says, getting up with a stretch. “I suppose things have been rather quiet lately, it was only a matter of time until _something_ happened.”

Kai’Sa pauses as she slips her belt and her holster on. “I suppose that’s one way to look at things.” She grabs her gun from under her pillow and tucks it into its proper place with practiced ease.

“I always try to see the bright side of things,” Ahri responds. “Stick around for long enough and everything seems miserable if you don’t.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Kai’Sa sits on the edge of her bed as she slips her boots on. 

“You don’t have to,” comes a whisper at her ear, Ahri’s voice suddenly very real instead of only ringing in her head, breath warm against her skin. Arms weave their way over the back of her neck, down to her shoulders. “I could teach you, sometime, after things calm down a bit.”

Kai’Sa pauses for a brief moment, her second boot halfway onto her foot. “There’s a building currently on fire, Ahri.”

“I’m aware.” Ahri pulls back with a huff, and Kai’Sa turns after she slips her second boot on. “That’s why I said after things calm down a bit. Not now.”

Kai’Sa hesitates as she gets up.

_After things calm down a bit, I’ll be gone, off to another job._

“My apologies. I seem to have missed that part.” 

Ahri shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. We have time to figure that out later.” Something about the look in Ahri’s eyes as she says it makes Kai’Sa’s mouth go dry. Behind molten gold lies unwavering certainty— _trust._

 _There may not be a later,_ Kai’Sa wants to say, but the statement rests on the tip of her tongue, the thought at the forefront of her brain, and for a moment she wonders if Ahri can read minds, given the way she doesn’t move to fill the awkward silence left behind by her comment. 

“Yeah,” Kai’Sa agrees, eventually, breaking the quiet. “We have time.” The words are a lie, stale and empty, and even though Ahri doesn’t visibly react, it’s clear that she realizes something is off by the time it took for Kai’sa to say them.

“I’ll meet you at the fire?” Ahri asks, instead, getting up and making her way towards the window. The way she says it almost makes it sound casual, like an invitation for tea.

“I’ll be there,” Kai’Sa confirms, and with a nod, a blur of white takes off out the window and dashes out of sight.

* * *

A thick trail of smoke quickly leads Kai’Sa to its source and it doesn’t take long for her to find herself standing in front of the Jailhouse—or what’s left of it, anyways.

The brick walls and iron barred windows of the jail itself, while covered in soot and ash, still stand strong. The offices, however, were seemingly not so fortunate. Smoldering remains of what was likely the roof line the road in front of the building, the sign on the front door is nowhere to be seen, and the wooden walls are half-gone, either currently being eaten away by hungry flames or already long since burned to ashes.

Kai’Sa’s seen a lot of fires over the years. Some were caused by monsters, but they tend to leave distinct signs, and this has none of them. 

Were this the work of something like a dragon, even the bricks would have melted. Were it a firebird, feathers would lie glowing in the ashes. The world works in predictable ways; it’s only a matter of learning what dots to connect when. Unfortunately, connecting dots requires clues, and she currently has a total of none.

A small crowd is gathered out front, and it doesn’t take long to spot Ahri. She’s far subtler without ears and a tail and glowing gold eyes, but even still, Kai’Sa has no trouble picking her out amongst the many faces that had come to investigate.

Ahri catches her eye and sends her a small wave to follow as she weaves her way around people to a nearby alley. When she’s satisfied they’re alone, Ahri leans against the wall and huffs.

“This was arson,” she says, tone certain and confident. “The whole building reeks of kerosene. The smoke made it a bit harder to tell, but whoever did it splashed enough of it on the walls to make it obvious.”

“I couldn’t smell anything,” Kai’Sa says, with a raised eyebrow, crossing her arms. “Are you positive?”

“I am,” Ahri confirms, with a small nod. “I have an excellent sense of smell. It’s both a blessing and a curse in some cases, but it’s never lied to me before. Someone set the place on fire.” She shrugs. “I would say that it could have been an accident, but with how potent the kerosene smell was, the fire wasn’t caused by a single knocked over lantern.”

“I see,” Kai’Sa says, with a hum, bringing a hand up to rub at her chin.

Beasts—even the smart ones—all leave signs eventually. And if not—a distinct lack of signs in a repeated pattern is a sign in itself. If Kai’Sa were to be perfectly honest, she’s starting to suspect the creature she’d been called in to kill isn’t a creature at all—but a person trying to pose as one. 

But if that’s the case… why switch from murder to arson? The sudden change in behavior doesn’t add up—nothing about this whole situation adds up.

“Ahri, you’re a local.” Ahri perks up at the mention of her name, paying close attention. “Other than me, and the people before me who died, has anyone else rode into town recently?”

Ahri shakes her head. “None that stayed, no.”

“And out of the locals, does Caitlyn have any enemies?” Kai’Sa continues.

“Oh, plenty. Nobody’s ever really acted on it before, though; they’re too scared of getting shot. Caitlyn’s aim is nothing short of legendary.” Ahri shrugs. “Why? You think this is connected to the murders?”

With a small shake of her head, Kai’Sa frowns. “It’s a possibility we can’t eliminate. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was. Your local big bad wolf is starting to look less and less wolfy, and more and more human.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Ahri admits, and something about her expression goes distant. “People can easily be worse than monsters if they so wish, I’ve learned.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Kai’Sa echoes. 

* * *

Most of the crowd has dissipated by the time Kai’Sa returns to the scene. Ahri had long since split off, choosing to investigate some on her own on four paws in the hopes she’d catch something while eavesdropping.

Caitlyn is easy to spot sifting through the ashes, the rifle strapped to her back polished and metal shining. She glances up as Kai’Sa walks over, sending Kai’Sa a small wave to come over.

“The flames burned too fast and too hot to be natural,” Caitlyn says, with a frown. “I don’t suppose this matches up with anything you know of?”

“It does match one thing,” Kai’Sa replies. “Arson.”

“Arson?” Caitlyn raises an eyebrow. “You sound awfully sure about that. I don’t suppose you’d mind sharing your reasoning?”

Kai’Sa pauses at that. “It smelled of kerosene,” she explains. It’s only half a lie—according to Ahri, the place positively _reeked_ of the stuff. Kai’Sa just couldn’t smell it herself. “Too strongly to be just a little bit.”

Caitlyn takes a moment to think over the words before giving a small frown. “You must have quite the sharp nose, then. I couldn’t smell anything other than smoke. Still can’t.”

Kai’Sa shrugs. “I’m a woman of many talents.” (She is also a filthy, filthy liar on so many counts, but that’s completely unrelated.) 

“I see.” Caitlyn’s tone is dismissive, and it’s clear she doesn’t fully believe it, but she doesn’t push it further. “Well, I suppose I should have expected something like this sooner. I know there’s quite a few people that would love to put a bullet in my head.” She shrugs. “Comes with the job.”

“I suppose being Sherriff means you’re not well-liked by everyone.”

“That’s correct,” Caitlyn confirms. “But I was well aware of the risks when I took on the job.” She turns, giving Kai’Sa an appraising glance. “And you? Your reputation is quite vast, I’m surprised you haven’t had attempts at assassination from vampires or something of the sort.”

Kai’Sa shakes her head. “Vampires tend to be rather reclusive. They don’t tend to attack unless directly threatened, and don’t much care if you kill others of their kind. Less competition.”

“Interesting.” Caitlyn grabs a notebook and a pencil out of her back pocket and starts writing notes on what she’d found at the scene. Kai’Sa watches, and when Caitlyn glances up, she lets out a sigh. “I don’t have anything else I need from you, at the current moment. If you’re so sure that this is arson, then this is out of your job description. You’re free to go.”

Kai’Sa hesitates for a moment. “I’m starting to think this whole gig is out of my job description,” she blurts out, before she can stop herself.

Caitlyn stops her writing and gives Kai’Sa an inquisitive glance. “How so?”

“Your local beast is looking a lot less beastly and far more like a murderer.” Kai’Sa shrugs. “Still a possibility you’ve got a beast of some sort on the loose, but… beasts always leave more signs—even the sneaky ones. It’s something to keep on the radar.”

Caitlyn purses her lips. “I appreciate the input, but I’m not quite sure I agree with your theory. I’ve seen a lot of murders, and this doesn’t match up. There’s no reasonable M.O., the perpetrator would have to be criminally insane.” She sighs. “However, you’re correct in that it’s always a possibility, even if an unlikely one. I’ll keep it in mind.”

* * *

The saloon is largely empty later. Kai’Sa doesn't know if it’s because everyone is wary of being near extremely flammable drinks after the fire, or because nobody’s thirsty, but she doesn’t particularly care—Ahri’s already there by the time she arrives, and that’s what matters.

Ahri glances up from her drink with a small wave, but doesn’t look to be in a great mood. Kai’Sa supposes she must not have had much luck, judging by her expression. She still asks, just in case.

“Any luck?”

Ahri shakes her head. “No. None. Nobody seems to have any idea who did it.”

Kai’Sa sighs. “It was worth a shot, I suppose.”

Ahri raises an eyebrow, a teasing smile making its way upon her lips. “Oh? Only a shot? Does that mean you’re buying drinks today?”

Kai’Sa shakes her head. “If that’s your way of asking, I wouldn’t mind doing so. Consider it payback for all the times you bought mine.”

“I’d far rather consider it a gift than a repayment of a debt,” Ahri says, setting her chin on her hand. “Feeds my ego more to be bought a drink by a pretty girl without a reason for it.” She sighs. “Unfortunately, though, I already paid.”

“A shame,” Kai’Sa muses. “Perhaps next time, then.”

Ahri smiles. “I’ll be sure to take you up on it.”

They fall quiet as Ezreal makes his way out of the back, and upon seeing Kai’Sa at the counter, he quickly gets to work on prepping a glass of whiskey. He drops it off with a small nod and a “ladies”, before making his way towards the back again. He must have been busy with something back there, if Kai’Sa had to guess, having only come out to make sure any patrons were taken care of.

She’s about halfway through her first drink when a chill runs down her spine, every sense going on alert. A glance towards the window, and Kai’Sa sees the shine of a polished metal gun barrel from atop the roof of the building across the street.

The window panes break with a loud crack of shattering glass, and Kai’Sa’s just barely able to tell the trajectory of the bullet in time to tackle Ahri off of her chair onto the floor.

“Kai’Sa what the—” Ahri’s eyes widen, and from this close, her breath can easily be felt on Kai’Sa’s cheek. A bullet whizzes into the wall behind where they had previously been sitting, and Kai’Sa lets out a small sigh of relief. Three more bullets follow soon after.

“Oh my god,” Ahri says, in shock, “did someone just shoot at me?”

“Yes,” answers Kai’Sa, “I believe someone did. And they might do it again. Stay down.” 

She weaves an arm down to her gun and pulls it out, popping it open briefly to make sure it’s loaded before getting up and raising it into the air. By now, living armor has weaved its way across her body, protecting her head and neck. It’s an unnecessary precaution, it seems, as the gunman on the roof is nowhere to be seen, and no more bullets come.

The shivers down her spine ease slightly, and gradually, armor retreats under her skin. Slowly, surely, she puts her gun away. “I think we’re in the clear,” Kai’Sa says, turning and offering a hand to help Ahri up. 

Ahri takes it with a grateful nod. “Thanks.”

Ezreal runs out of the back. “Are y’all okay?” He asks, before turning to look at the wall with a frown. “Fuck,” he hisses to himself, “that ain’t gonna be cheap to repair.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll cover it, Ezreal. Someone shot at me, it shouldn’t be your responsibility to pay for the damages.” Ahri says, as she dusts herself off. “Besides, I know money’s tight right now. I have more than enough to cover it.”

Ezreal runs a hand along the back of his neck. “I can’t say I don’t appreciate it, but it’s really not your fault. Ya’ don’t gotta cover it.”

Ahri cuts him off and waves her hand. “I insist.” She then turns to Kai’Sa, expression unreadable. “You saved my life,” she says, airy, almost breathless. “I owe you.”

“Consider it payback for all the drinks you bought me,” Kai’Sa says, trying and probably failing to sound nonchalant, echoing what she had said earlier. “We’re even.”

Ahri hums, neither confirming nor denying, but she doesn’t look entirely satisfied with the statement. Neither pushes it further.

* * *

Ahri scratches at the window again later that night, and this time, she doesn’t make a snarky comment about how long it takes Kai’Sa to open it. She does, however, decide to switch back to two legs and take a seat on Kai’Sa’s bed like she owns it.

“I found rifle casings on the roof,” Ahri says. “Dunno how the guy got up there, though. I had to hop over a couple of buildings, and I didn’t see a ladder or anything. They could have taken it with em’, but…” She shrugs. “Who knows.”

Kai’Sa takes a moment to process the words. It makes sense that the gun would be a rifle, trying to snipe with anything else would just be idiotic, but… 

She pauses, coming to a realization.

“Ahri, did you happen to grab one of them while you were up there?”

“Yeah, I grabbed two of ‘em.” Ahri tilts her head, before reaching into her pocket and grabbing one. “Why?”

Kai’Sa takes the offered shell casing with a grateful nod. “Just wanted to check something.”

She turns it around in her hand until the flat bottom of it is visible. There, in small letters near the bottom, sits the word _Shen’s._

“These are locally made,” Kai’Sa says, with a small frown. “Akali had mentioned someone ordered a bunch of rifle ammo the last time I ran low on bullets.” She sends a pointed look Ahri’s way at that comment, but Ahri doesn’t appear to feel guilty about it. “I suspect our shooter frequented Shen’s recently.”

Ahri claps her hands together. “Then all we have to do is head over there in the morning and ask who bought the rifle ammo, and we should have our guy, right?”

“In theory, yes.” Kai’Sa hums. “But rarely are things that simple. It feels… too convenient, but at the very least, it’ll be a good place to start.”

Ahri gets up with an exaggerated stretch of her arms. “Can’t get anywhere without a good place to start, so that’s still good, no?” Sending a quick glance out the window, Ahri frowns when she notices how dark it is outside. “It’s late. I’ll let you rest.”

“It being late out has never stopped you before,” Kai’Sa points out. “Did you suddenly gain some manners?”

Ahri shrugs with an innocent smile. “What can I say, I’m feeling especially polite today.” 

Brushing her way past Kai’Sa towards the window, Ahri pauses for a moment to press a small, quick peck to her cheek. “Thanks again for the save today, handsome.” Kai’Sa sees whisker marks and a flash of gold for what feels like a fraction of a second before they disappear again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, bright and early.”

Kai’Sa freezes and brings a hand up to her cheek, and there’s a small creak as the window is pushed open again.

“Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she echoes, but Ahri is already gone, having taken off into the night in a blur of white. “Bright and early.”

* * *

The light from the forge glows in the early morning, and even though the sun is barely over the horizon, it feels more and more like midday heat the closer Kai’Sa gets to it.

Ahri’s there before Kai’Sa is, having started chatting up Akali—likely about gossip, judging by how easygoing they seem. For once, Akali isn’t working, leaning against a wooden support beam. It’s probably before she’s due to start, if Kai’Sa had to guess—Ahri had probably planned their timing that way on purpose.

Upon Kai’Sa’s arrival, Ahri pauses and looks up with a wave and a small smile. 

“Morning,” Kai’Sa says. “Sorry to interrupt.”

Akali shakes her head. “Ya’ ain’t interrupting anything. Ahri’s just bein’ nosy.”

“I’m not being nosy,” Ahri protests, with a small huff. “I just want details.”

“Sure ya’ do.” Akali shakes her head, before turning towards Kai’Sa. “Ahri said you’ve got some questions for me?”

“That’s correct.” Kai’Sa reaches into her pocket and pulls out one of the shell casings, passing it over. “I know you mentioned someone bought a bunch of rifle ammo the last time I was here.”

“Yup,” Akali confirms, with a small frown. “A friend of a friend of my dad’s. I don’t suppose you know ‘im?” She inspects the little engravings on the bottom. “Cuz’ this is definitely from the batch I made for him.”

“This was shot at Ahri,” Kai’Sa says.

Akali’s eyes widen, and she opens her mouth to respond, before closing it when nothing comes out. She hesitates for a moment, looking over to Ahri, as if not quite believing it. When Ahri responds with a nod and a soberingly serious expression, Akali shifts.

“You’re tellin’ me Jhin shot at Ahri?” she asks, incredulous. “You serious?”

“If that’s who bought the bullets, then it’s likely,” Kai’Sa says.

At that name, Ahri pales. “Jhin? As in Khada Jhin?”

Kai’Sa looks over, curious. “Is that name familiar to you?”

“Extremely. Very sophisticated guy, polite—albeit sometimes a bit narcissistic. Big fan of Princess.” She frowns. “He was the one who cut in and danced with me that one night at Mystic Shot, actually, if you remember that.”

“I do,” Kai’Sa confirms.

“Now that I think about it, what he whispered in my ear that night makes a lot more sense.” Ahri looks like she’s torn between laughing and freaking out.

Akali raises an eyebrow, curious. “How come? What’d he say?”

“He told me that I’d look beautiful in red—that he looked forward to seeing me in it,” Ahri says, with a shake of her head. “At the time I thought he was just creepily hitting on me, but looking back on it, he probably wasn’t referring to a dress, was he?”

“No,” Kai’Sa agrees, “I don’t think he was.”

“Holy fuck,” Akali mumbles. “I always knew somethin’ was off about that dude, but I never woulda’ guessed he’d shoot at someone. If I’d known, I wouldn't’ve sold him jack shit. Shit, I could have gotten you killed.”

“It’s not your fault, Akali.” Ahri places a hand on Akali’s shoulder. “You had no way of knowing—none of us did. You’ve done us a huge favor by giving us his name. We’ll take it from here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One, two, three, four. On beat five, the cycle restarts back at one for the beginning of a new measure.


	6. Hot On The Trail

Khada Jhin, as it turns out, is incredibly hard to track down when he doesn’t want to be found. The man is practically a ghost—but even ghosts have their haunts.

It takes a few bribes on Ahri’s part, but she’s able to get Evelynn to do some digging, and a few likely not-so-legal copies of some property records later, she and Kai’Sa find themselves at a small house on the outskirts of town.

Kai’Sa offers Ahri her extra gun as they approach. She knows Ahri can handle herself, but still—it’s better to have and not need than to need and not have. Ahri eyes it for a few seconds, but accepts it without protest. 

Kai’Sa’s about 90% sure the bullets Ahri puts in it are the ones she had stolen from her what feels so long ago now—but why exactly Ahri had brought them along in her pockets when she doesn’t normally carry a weapon, Kai’Sa doesn’t know. It’s not something important or anything worth worrying about, but it’s something that she notes and shoves away to the back of her mind for later.

The house is surprisingly well-kept. There’s a chipped floorboard or two on the porch, but the siding and roof are untouched and the windows are free of smudges—almost pristine if not for the hint of dust from the storm the night before. If Jhin truly does live here, he likes to keep things neat, it seems. (At least on the outside—who knows what the interior is like.)

Kai’Sa can’t make out any signs of movement, so cautiously, step by step, she inches closer to the front door. Ahri follows, at first, before growing impatient and rushing ahead to peek in the windows.

Kai’Sa wants to lecture her on how ungodly _stupid_ that choice was, but when Ahri turns back with a small pout the words end up caught in her throat. 

“Nobody’s home,” Ahri says. “Can’t really see much—it’s dark as hell in there, but nothing’s moving and I can’t see any lamps on. Reckon’ he must be out right now.” She pauses for a moment. “If he even lives here, that is. Even if the property is under his name, he may not.”

“True,” Kai’Sa muses. “That could very well be the case.”

Ahri turns her attention back towards the window, tugging on it and frowning when it doesn’t budge. “Windows are locked. If I had to guess, the front door probably is as well.”

“It’s worth trying,” Kai’Sa points out. “You never know.”

Ahri hums, before they make their way to the front door. Grabbing her gun in one hand and the door handle in the other, Kai’Sa tugs. Surprisingly, it opens inward without much protest.

“Huh.” Kai’Sa says, as she cautiously steps inside, gun at the ready. “Looks like whoever lives here didn’t lock up.”

“Guess it’s our lucky day, then,” Ahri muses, following behind, her own gun ready and raised. 

Kai’Sa hums. “I wouldn’t be too hasty—there’s still plenty of things that could go wrong. Best not to count our eggs before they hatch.”

“Remember what I said about looking on the bright side? Don’t be so negative.” Ahri drops her gun from a ready position and lightly elbows Kai’Sa. “C’mon, let’s look around.”

* * *

The inside of the building is not _nearly_ as clean as the outside. Dust cakes the side table by the door in the foyer and the air is musty. It doesn’t look like anyone’s lived here in a while. If they have, Kai’Sa fears for the state of their lungs.

The foyer is pretty standard, all things considered. Kai’Sa spends a while rifling through drawers, pulling them open one by one only to come up largely empty handed. She does find a few spare coins and a half-empty sketchbook—which, she’ll admit, the artist is quite good at drawing flowers.

“Hey, Kai’Sa?” Ahri calls, from another room. “I think you’re gonna wanna see this.”

Quickly shutting the drawer, Kai’Sa sets the sketchbook aside. “Coming.”

She follows the sound of Ahri’s voice to the kitchen, and right in the middle, Ahri stands with her arms crossed. Kai’Sa doesn’t see anything all that unusual, but before she can ask, Ahri squats down and tugs at a slightly loose floorboard, and a chunk of the floor pulls up to reveal a trapdoor.

“It smelled like fancy perfume from below the floorboards,” Ahri explains. “So I poked around a bit and found this.”

Ahri steps aside and allows Kai’Sa to open it up. The door creaks and Kai’Sa winces slightly at the overpowering scent of flowers. Ahri noticeably coughs, before pinching her nose—it makes sense that she’d be uncomfortable, considering she had said her nose was sensitive. 

“It smells like someone dumped an entire pitcher of perfume in there,” Kai’Sa says, with a huff, as she looks down. The room below is pitch black. “We’re likely gonna need to find a lantern—I can’t see anything.”

“I think I saw one in one of the bedrooms.” Ahri brings a hand up to her chin. “I didn’t check if it had any oil in it, though.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Kai’Sa gets back up and starts making her way over. “Worst case, if it doesn’t, we can go grab one of mine—or yours—and come back. Which bedroom was it? Right or left?”

“Right, I think,” Ahri replies. 

Kai’Sa nods. “Be right back.”

It doesn’t take long to locate the lantern, and luckily, it has enough oil in it for a few hours, if Kai’Sa were to estimate.

“Any luck?” Ahri asks, as Kai’Sa makes her way back.

“It’s got enough oil in it for a good look around, I’m pretty sure,” Kai’Sa replies, with a small nod. “We’ll have to share, though. I could only find one.”

“That’s fine. I assumed we’d have to share—I only saw one anyways.”

Kai’Sa shrugs, lighting the lantern. “Just making sure.”

Ahri smiles, and Kai’Sa catches just a hint of sharp canines. “I appreciate the consideration.” She waves an arm over towards the trapdoor. “I’ll let you light the way, then. After you—ladies first.”

“How polite of you.”

Kai’Sa shifts the lantern into one hand, and uses her other to grab the rungs of the ladder. Slowly, step by step, she starts her descent. Ahri follows soon after.

* * *

The basement, unlike the rest of the house, has clearly had someone in it recently. There isn’t a single speck of dust—everything is clean, almost immaculately so. 

It makes the actual contents of it all that much more unsettling.

Ahri makes her way over towards a desk in the corner, frowning as she finds a skull sitting neatly on top of it. Kai’Sa follows, bringing the lantern to light the way. “Well that’s not the most pleasant choice of decor, isn’t it?” She grabs it, turning it in her hands briefly before her frown deepens and she places it back down. “Ew. It’s real, too. Seems old, though, at least.”

“Lovely.” Kai’Sa huffs. “At least it isn’t _recent.”_

Ahri turns, with a small pout. “What? It’s the truth. I’d be far more worried if it was.” Ahri digs through the desk drawers for a few before coming up empty-handed. “C’mon, let’s see what else is in here.”

Grabbing Kai’Sa’s free hand, Ahri takes the lead, and it doesn’t take long for them to come across something more along the lines of what they’re looking for. Ahri lets go of her hand, going over to investigate.

Pinned on the wall by small, immaculately engraved knives are bunches of sketches, which—admittedly, are quite good. The problem is—several of them are shaded with what looks suspiciously like blood—and the lines that connect the clusters of them seem to match.

“Well I’ll be damned. _This_ is recent,” Ahri says, pointing to one near the end. She’s right. The blood on the page is still red, and it forms an image that’s incredibly familiar. Caitlyn’s face. It’s accompanied by several unfinished sketches—whoever had last been here must have left in a hurry. Right above them is a caption. 

“Act five,” Kai’Sa reads. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Not sure,” Ahri says, tracing her way down the trail, making her way past another cluster of drawings before pausing at the next. “But look here. It’s us. Pretty accurate, too.” She pauses. “I’m much cuter than this in person, actually, now that I think about it. My eyes are too far apart here.”

Kai’Sa follows Ahri’s fingers to find—as she said, portraits of themselves. They’re accompanied by several others, including the sheriff yet again, Vi, and several other prominent town residents. _Act three,_ the words above them read. 

Kai’Sa follows the trail, and it doesn’t take long to find a caption with the words “act two.” Yet again, the Sheriff’s face stares back, along with two men she hasn’t seen before. Noticeably, their faces are crossed out.

“Those are two guys who got called in before you,” Ahri says, as if reading Kai’Sa’s thoughts. “Both ended up dead.”

Kai’Sa frowns. It’s almost like some sort of… plan? No. Something about that feels too convenient. 

Going down the line, she makes her way through every cluster. Act one is the same as act two, except for the fact two different guys are crossed out, both of whom Ahri helpfully informs her are also dead. Act three she had already looked at, act four has Malcolm and Tobias crossed out, and—wait, there’s Ahri’s face again. (It’s hard to tell, at first, as the artist had tried to scribble it out, but it’s definitely Ahri.) A neat ‘X rests at the corner of the paper along with it.

That just leaves act five, and act five is… just Caitlyn (Kai’Sa chooses to not count the unfinished sketches.) Actually, now that Kai’Sa looks at it—the only consistent face among the five of them is Caitlyn. And there, right on the last one, is the same little ‘X’ that had been on Ahri’s act four portrait, accompanied by a small heart. 

Retracing her path, Kai’Sa finds there’s a small heart on every single one of Caitlyn’s portraits, actually. They’re hidden in different spots, but they’re there.

Kai’Sa’s stomach twists, and she turns, only to meet Ahri’s gaze, who seemingly comes to the same conclusion.

“I might be wrong,” Ahri says, “but I’m pretty sure that judging by this whole thing, either Caitlyn’s gonna be next, or she’s in on it.”

“No,” Kai’Sa replies, with a small shake of her head. “I think you’re very likely right. We either have a dirty cop on our hands, or a soon-to-be dead one.”

“I know Eve isn’t personally a fan of cops, but personally, I think Caitlyn does some real good work. Good lady—balls of steel, moral compass straighter than an arrow.” Ahri frowns. “I doubt she’d be in on this, but on the off chance she is and I was wrong about her being the queen of ethics, we can’t risk getting the police involved.”

“I agree,” Kai’Sa says. “And either way, if we keep an eye on her, hopefully Khada Jhin will show his face. One way or another—whether Caitlyn’s the target or an accomplice—he’s bound to show up.”

Ahri smiles, and it’s all teeth. In the low light of the lantern, she looks positively _predatory._ “And we’ll be waiting when he does.”

“Yes,” Kai’Sa confirms, “we will.”

* * *

Kai’Sa feels distinctly like a stalker, even if she knows the reasons behind her behavior are good. Ahri, being naturally nosy, doesn’t seem bothered by it in the least. (Considering that Ahri had pretty much stalked Kai’Sa when she had first gotten into town—or rather, Princess had—she really shouldn’t be surprised.)

Caitlyn is surprisingly easy to stalk. For someone known for being a bit paranoid, she has easily followable habits and rarely leaves her office. It’s honestly concerning how late she works—it’s not uncommon for her to sleep in her office. In fact, it seems more common than not.

It takes three days of sleeping at the office for her to finally leave it, and from what Kai’Sa can make out, it’s not by her choice. She’s accompanied by a very tired looking Vi. This isn’t a surprise—Vi always heads home around now, but the fact that they’re holding hands definitely makes Kai’Sa double-take.

“Are they…?” Kai’Sa whispers, trailing off.

“Together?” Ahri finishes. “Officially, no. But considering I just heard Vi call good ol’ sheriff _babe_ , they probably are.”

Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow. “You can hear what they’re saying all the way over there?”

Ahri turns, perking up and raising an eyebrow right back. “You can’t?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Ahri visibly deflates. “My bad. I forgot your hearing isn’t good.”

Kai’Sa frowns. “My hearing is fine. Yours is just inhuman.”

Ahri shrugs, not bothering to argue with that statement, instead turning her attention back towards Caitlyn and Vi. 

“Oh, that’s cute,” she says, after a moment. “Vi just said she’s gonna escort Caitlyn home. Something about “not trusting you to come right back to the office as soon as I leave.” How sweet.”

Ahri’s right, it is sweet. Kai’Sa can’t make out a ton from where they’re at, but the smile that makes its way upon Caitlyn’s face is wide. It makes Kai’Sa’s stomach twist, because if she had felt like a stalker before, she feels like a full-on _voyeur_ now.

Despite herself, Kai’Sa averts her eyes. Ahri, ever perceptive, doesn’t take long to notice. 

“You’re not embarrassed by them holding hands, are you?” The smile Ahri gives with the words is telling, clearly saying that she already knows the answer to her own question.

“No, it’s not that,” Kai’Sa explains. “It’s more the fact that it feels like we’re listening in on an intimate moment.”

Ahri raises an eyebrow, clearly not buying it, but doesn’t push it further. “Whatever you say.”

They wait for a while, and watch as Caitlyn and Vi walk out of sight hand in hand. Ahri moves to follow, but Kai’Sa grabs her arm with a small shake of her head.

“Let’s let them be. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

Ahri frowns. “Who’s to say something won’t go down before then?”

Kai’Sa shakes her head. “It’s a possibility, but an unlikely one. I’d rather not pry.”

“Better to pry than to let someone possibly die,” Ahri counters.

Kai’Sa hums. “You follow if you want. I’m not being a voyeur.” 

Ahri doesn’t budge. “First of all, watching people talk sweet to each other and hold hands isn’t being a voyeur. Second of all, I’m going, and you’re coming with me. I’m not doing this without backup. We’re following.” She pauses. “At least until they get home safe,” she adds, as an afterthought. 

Kai’Sa purses her lips, but eventually relents. “Fine. But I don’t think anything’s going to happen.”

Ahri shrugs. “Better safe than sorry.”

* * *

Things do, in fact, end up happening.

They’re about fifteen minutes into following Caitlyn and Vi to what Kai’Sa assumes is Caitlyn’s house when the first shots ring out.

Kai’Sa reaches for her gun on instinct, living armor lurching up her skin. Ahri, having kept the gun Kai’Sa had loaned her (thank god), reaches for her own as well. Even still—they’re too far away to do anything immediately, having trailed behind nearby buildings and alleyways so as to not be seen. By the time they’d be close enough to do anything, it’d be too late to completely intervene. 

Fortunately either the assailant’s aim isn’t good, or Caitlyn is lucky, because she and Vi are able to get out of the way, scrambling behind some nearby supply crates for cover. Blood trails from Vi’s shoulder (having pushed Caitlyn out of the way of the initial onslaught and taken a hit herself), but she’s alive and mostly unharmed. It doesn’t take long for the tip of a rifle barrel to poke out from behind the crates and start firing back. 

Following the trajectory of Caitlyn’s shots, Kai’Sa quickly spots a man in a mask on the roof of a building nearby. Both Kai’Sa and Ahri fire off a few shots of their own, and one of them manages to hit his right forearm. It seems he hadn’t expected company, because he reels in surprise, dropping his rifle and grabbing at his arm in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He looks around, and eventually, he must spot them, because he freezes. Immediately after, he makes a run for it, disappearing towards the back.

Kai’Sa glances back over towards the crates, where Caitlyn’s rifle is still visible, before glancing back towards where she had last seen the man in the mask.

A hand briefly comes up to rest on her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. 

“Go,” Ahri says. “I’ll check to make sure everyone’s okay and fill them in on the situation. I think, by now, it’s safe to say Caitlyn’s not in on it—and we owe her an explanation.”

Kai’Sa hesitates before Ahri moves her hand to her back, shoving her forward. 

“Better hurry, we don’t want to let him get away. Go, before you’re too late.”

“Right.” Kai’Sa nods, taking off running. 

“Good luck,” Ahri calls, from behind.

Kai’Sa runs to the back of the building she had last seen the shooter arriving just in time to see a horse speeding off in the distance, a familiar, masked rider on its back. He’s headed out of town, by the looks of it—most notably, he’s also headed the opposite direction of Khada Jhin’s house. Interesting. 

As Kai’Sa shoves her gun back in its place on her hip, Peaches materializes in a blur of shadows. Quickly hopping on, she urges him onward with a kick of her heels and a click of her tongue. With a cloud of dust and pounding hooves, they’re off.

* * *

The masked man ends up riding straight to one of the mines. It’s not an active one—a silver mine that had long since run dry and been abandoned, but it’s still a curious spot to run to nonetheless. As far as Kai’Sa knows, there’s only one entrance and one exit. 

Upon pulling up to the entrance, Kai’Sa finds the shooter’s horse abandoned. Some smeared blood lines stain the right side of its tack, with a telltale trail of red leading into the entrance of the mine.

Everything about the whole situation screams that it’s a trap. Even knowing that, Kai’Sa still finds herself grabbing one of the lanterns hanging on the wall and making her way inside. On the off chance she was wrong about there only being one exit and there’s a secret tunnel out, she has to move quickly—she can’t risk losing the shooter’s trail.

Step by step, spatter by spatter of red on iron-stained dirt, Kai’Sa makes her way forward, lantern in one hand, gun in the other. Before long, her nose is assaulted by the smell of flowers, just like it had been in the basement. It’s a smell that only grows more potent, until she reaches its source—a cavern, lit by lanterns and littered with (mostly) deliberate bloodstains.

At the center of it, at a well-polished wooden desk, sits the masked man, writing away at a notebook with his left hand. His right arm hangs loose at his side, stained in red. He doesn’t look up when she enters, but she’s almost positive he knows she’s there.

“Khada Jhin,” Kai’Sa says, setting down her lantern on the floor as she makes her way forward. It’s both a statement and a question.

“Kai’Sa, daughter of Kassadin,” comes the echo, a smooth, confident statement. He looks up, and a flash of rusty eyes from behind the mask sends Kai’Sa’s blood chilling. He doesn’t deny the accusation, and his gaze is cold, cool, calculating— _knowing_. “You and your furry companion forced me to make some last minute adjustments to my plotline. And here I am, having to make them again. You’re quite the unruly character, you know.”

Kai’Sa tightens her grip on her gun, trigger finger twitching. “Is this all some sort of game to you?” Her face curls in disgust when he chuckles. “Do you think this is funny? People are dead.”

He considers the question for a moment, stopping his writing with a small hum. “Funny? No. Interesting? Yes.” He sets his pen down, placing his hand on the desk. “This is not a game—no, this is far more important than that. This is a _performance._ Every movement a character makes contributes to the artistry. You, the sheriff, that insufferable oaf of a bartender, you’re all the ones doing the real work. I’m merely a puppetmaster pulling the strings to make it happen.”

“You’re insane.” Kai’Sa keeps her gun raised, taking another step closer. 

“There’s a fine line between insanity and genius. It is only by pushing it that one can achieve the true potential of art.” He tilts his head, and the smiling visage of the mask almost seems like it’s mocking Kai’Sa in the process. “Those with unrefined palettes can’t appreciate caviar properly even when it’s given to them for free. I’ve learned it’s best not to waste my time offering. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—if someone cannot see it, that is nobody’s fault but their own.”

He moves his hand towards the edge of the desk, and Kai’Sa takes a step forward. “Keep your hand where I can see it or I’ll shoot.”

His hand is quickly placed back on the desk, and he drums his fingers along the wood, almost as if he’s bored. “My, my, so quick to jump to violence. We were having such a friendly little chat, there’s no need for gunfire.”

Kai’Sa sneers. “That’s rich, coming from a _murderer._ And we’re not friendly. I pick my friends better than that.”

At that, he laughs. “Do you? What pretty little lies have the monsters whispered in your ear to make you believe that?”

When Kai’Sa hesitates to answer, he continues, with a small chuckle. “Were you not told tales of the villages Ahri has burned? The stories of the people she’s sucked the soul right out of? The men Evelynn has flayed alive?”

“You’re lying. Ahri wouldn’t do that.” Not anymore, at least. She had said it herself—she hasn’t killed anyone in hundreds of years. “Not anymore.”

He moves to rest his chin in his hand. “And she told you that herself, I’m assuming?” He pauses, as if waiting for an answer, but when he doesn’t receive one, he continues. “She’s a shapeshifter. They’re known for being able to say what you want to hear—to be what you want to see. I wouldn’t advise taking her words at face value.”

“I don’t take advice from criminals.”

“That’s smart of you.” He hums. “I merely figured it’d only be polite to offer. I like to leave people with something to think about before I go.”

At that, Kai’Sa pauses. Go? Go where? He must be crazier than she thought if he thinks he’s getting out of this. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m afraid I am.” He scoots his chair back. “And you’re coming with me.”

“Like hell I am,” she hisses. “Don’t move or I’ll shoot.”

He laughs. “Center stage waits for nobody. Be honored—it’s not often one gets to take their place on it with me.” He gets up from his seat.

“I’ll shoot,” she reiterates, finger tightening on the trigger.

Jhin is unphased. “Go ahead. It won’t change anything. The show will go on, even without me. The climax of this whole story is only just beginning.”

He nudges the desk slightly to the side, revealing a barrel buried in the dirt underneath it. There seems to be a few more buried next to it, from what Kai’Sa can tell, but the desk is still covering too much to know for sure. What she can see, however, is the end of a fuse poking out of the top, burning and alarmingly short. 

Kai’Sa’s stomach drops when the reality of it all sets in. He’s going to cave in the mine—with them still in it. Fuck.

The armor on her skin buzzes in alarm, and Kai’Sa turns, making a break for the entrance. The thought that she stupidly just turned her back on someone who very well could have shot her is pushed down in favor of focusing on making her legs move faster. In terms of risk assessment, she can survive a few bullets—being buried alive, not so much.

Jhin’s cackling follows Kai’Sa through the mineshaft, and it’s just as she nears the light at the end of the tunnel that four loud booms ring out. Immediately after, everything comes crashing down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lol sorry this took so long actual plot is hard. Sorry for the cliffhanger I hate doing those but was left with no choice, there was no other stopping point :( Happy Valentine’s Day!

**Author's Note:**

> For snippets, updates on what I'm working on, and a shit ton of art retweets, feel free to check out my [twitter.](https://twitter.com/UmbreonGurl)
> 
> Please, PLEASE check out the lovely fanart made by @Cariykon on twitter [here](https://twitter.com/cariykon/status/1340765477052637184?s=20) and [here!](https://twitter.com/cariykon/status/1341834586645413888?s=20)
> 
> @LeagueOfSiege drew Peaches! You can find the art [here.](https://twitter.com/LeagueOfSiege/status/1350469960162795526?s=20)


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